Sept 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has

approved the potential sale of F-16 aircraft and related

elements of logistics and program support to Peru in a deal

valued at an estimated $3.42 billion, the Pentagon said on

Monday.

The principal contractors are Lockheed Martin ( LMT ),

General Electric Aerospace and RTX Corp ( RTX ), according to a

release.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas)