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correct. Thanks Blain.
It is indeed a way to decrease the chance that Chinese engineers can share some time to look at block 52. And indeed it might have been a point for the Indians to swallow the deal.
I think we should see this selling to Pakistan in a different perspective. They can control the southern oil rich area near Iran cause they will visit the baser as often as needed. And we all know how often unmarked CIA planes are traveling around the globe... And US wil surely go for a base to control Iran, Afghanistan and oil fields and transport routes.
But the more important fact is that by selling this plane they wil gain more control in PAF... Pilots need training and by selling planes and training pilots they will get options to use those pilots if needed... By getting the hands on the best PAF pilots it is a easy way to control PAF.
Besides that we see that China and Russia are developing rapidly and Pakistan get planes from France/China and other nations (like Sweden) so besides they are devloping JF17 they are no longer the beggers of the past... The only reason PAF got AMRAAM was that SD10 was available... Nothing else.
I do see Pakistan getting more Russian parts in the future... Just a matter of a few years.
I find it interesting that you mention the idea that the new F-16's are a control device for the PAF. Whilst it is a interesting idea I personally don't believe it to be the case. For exactly the reasons you state. PAk now has other options the French, the Swedes and the Chinese. So because other options are available it means that The U.S.'s leverage is more limited than in the past. PAK has been stung in the past an I am sure they would not gamble in such a manner again.
i certainly dont like the word control, seperation of the new F-16s from chinese systems seems to be the logical assumption.
And what would prevent a PAF pilot from flying a shiny new block 52 plane to an airbase in Pakistan that DOES have Chinese engineers??