A Canadian firm has entered negotiations to purchase five fighter jets from the Lebanese Air Force, Defense News has reported.
Canada-based Lortie Aviation’s move comes after the Lebanese Defense Ministry opened auctions for the five Hawker Hunter fighters and authorized the Lebanese Army to issue an agreement of consent with the firm for their sale alongside spare parts.
The next step is to negotiate the price. The deal is expected to be worth an estimated $1 million, according to Defense News.
Reports that the Defense Ministry had been planning to sell Hawker Hunters, alongside three helicopters whose necessary spare parts could not be found on the global market, go back to June 2020.
The Defense Ministry opened the first public bid last May to sell all eight aircraft and available spare parts.
Lebanon has owned a total of 19 Hawker Hunters. In 2014, the Lebanese Air Force withdrew the last four active units of the aircraft, manufactured in the UK during the late 1940s and early 1950s, from service.
Lortie Aviation was the only bidder for the Hawker Hunters in the third auction, held on August 12.
The helicopters, on the other hand, have not received any bids yet and might consequently be sold as spare parts.
