NAIROBI, Kenya, March 19 (UPI) -- Kenya is negotiating with Jordan to buy U.S.-made F-5 jets in a deal that would require U.S. government approval.
The Sunday Nation said the number of F-5s Kenya wanted to obtain and the costs involved were not immediately available.
A U.S. diplomat reportedly said Washington was aware of the negotiations, "but it hasn't progressed to the point where we're involved."
The F-5, the first of which was produced in the 1960s, was produced by Northrop. Production of the F-5A series ended in 1972, while the last of the F-5E series rolled off the production line in 1987. But the aircraft is still in wide use worldwide.
Under U.S. military sales agreements, the sale of F-5s in Jordan's inventory must be approved by the Pentagon.
Kenya, a key and longstanding ally of the United States, currently has seven of the aircraft, the report said. Two of those, however, are used for training.
