Pakistan has received three new F-16 aircraft from the US as part of 18 such fighter jets scheduled to reach the country by December. Three other aircraft reached Pakistan in June as part of the consignment, while the remaining would be handed over by the end of December. Pakistani pilots were trained by the US Air Force prior to the handing over and they flew the aircraft in the Pakistani airspace. The government of former Pakistan president Gen. (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf had struck a deal with the US for the purchase of 24 refurbished F-16 aircrafts to enhance air warfare capacity of the country. The new government, after taking charge in 2008, decided to buy 18 additional new block-52 fighter jets.