Islamabad: After refusing to sell the Gripen fighter planes to Pakistan, Sweden has reportedly given its nod to provide the country with the Airborne Early Warning and Control System, which, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) claimed, would partially counter-balance the Indian acquisition of the Israeli Phalcon surveillance system.

Sweden has given its "nod" to sell the system along with 14 SAB 2000 aircraft, which costs about $ 1.7 billion, local daily "The News" said.

The Defence deal was negotiated during a recent trip to Stockholm by President Pervez Musharraf, and PAF Chief Marshal Safadat Kaleem would be visiting Sweden shortly to clinch it, it said.

The deal, considered to be the biggest Defence pact in recent times for Pakistan, if materialised, would not only help the country to partially counter-balance the Indian acquisition of the Israeli Phalcon airborne surveillance system, it will also boast the PAF and Pakistan Navy's reaction capabilities by providing early and specific warnings, the paper quoted PAF officials as saying.

This state-of-the-art system will also augment Pakistan Navy's potential for maritime and tactical surveillance, the daily said.

The report followed announcement by Swedish leadership during Musharraf's visit that it had declined Pakistan's request to sell Gripen fighter jets, which PAF considered as the nearest match to the Russian SU-30 planes acquired by the Indian Air Force (IAF).