Therefore, they want to replace old Warsaw Pact equipment with new Western gear to meet alliance standards. The US firms acknowledge the Eastern Europeans' financial straits. But they say they are working with them on payment plans and other incentives. At the same time, it offered to buy parts for the plane from the Czechs. Such arrangements, known as offsets, are now standard industry practice for winning sales.
Contractors say offsets help customers meet the costs of weapons.
But critics say they deprive US workers of jobs and will not generate the resources Eastern Europeans need.