Israel trying to block U.S.-Saudi Arabia F-15 defense contract

[Lankan Ranger]

Israel trying to block U.S.-Saudi Arabia F-15 defense contract

Defense source says deal includes purchase of scores of new F-15 fighter jets and the upgrading of the 150 F-15s already in the Saudi air force.

Israel is trying to prevent a big defense contract between the United States and Saudi Arabia from going through, a senior defense source told Haaretz. The deal includes the purchase of scores of new F-15 fighter jets and the upgrading of the 150 F-15s already in the Saudi air force.

The source said Israel expressed a number of reservations to the Americans over the past month, and the issue is expected to come up in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meetings in Washington on Tuesday.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak raised the deal in meetings with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Advisor General Jim Jones two weeks ago in Washington. Israel also made its reservations clear at a meeting in Tel Aviv between top Israeli defense officials and a delegation led by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy.

The aircraft deal was also raised in talks between Saudi King Abdullah and U.S. President Barack Obama last week. The defense source told Haaretz the Americans are interested in building up the Saudi air force vis-a-vis Iran, which would help deter the Islamic Republic.

Israel, however, hopes that if the deal goes forward, Saudi Arabia will receive fewer advanced versions of the F-15 than those possessed by Israel, which seeks to maintain its air force's superiority. "Today these planes are against Iran, tomorrow they might turn against us," the source said.

Israel and the United States held a number of meetings over the past 18 months on Israel's superiority. The two sides agreed that neither would surprise the other by agreeing a military deal with a third party. A senior source in the U.S. administration told Haaretz the United States has promised Israel it would have priority access to any new weapons system and, in some cases, exclusive rights to buy new weapons systems, as opposed to Arab states.

"The administration is conducting open and completely transparent talks with Israel on the matter, and we are updating Israel on any planned deal to hear its reservations," the official said. "We believe that there are many cases in which the Iranian threat commits us to strengthen the ability of states in the region to defend themselves."

'Israel trying to block U.S.-Saudi Arabia defense contract' - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

 

[Lankan Ranger]

Saudi Arabia Should Get: Su-35BM

 

[Ishan]

Israel shud Buy Sukhoi-30s Frm Russia As Well which is Better than F-15s and Sukhoi 30s with Israeli Avionics, Sensors, Jammers wud make it a Beast..

Putting All Eggs in American Basket is Not Wise and these Americans wud go any extent to sell their Aircrafts to Saudis Due to their $$$$$$

 

[Machoman]

Isreal should thank to Saudi Arabia for buying these planes. Offcourse if Israel going to act stupid like they did last time, even their friends become their enemy. So my advice to Israel is. Shut the f$&@ up.

 

[Ishan]

Isreal should thank to Saudi Arabia for buying these planes. Offcourse if Israel going to act stupid like they did last time, even their friends become their enemy. So my advice to Israel is. Shut the f$&@ up.

Do the Saudis even know to repair a Nut and Screws of an F-15 Plane

Everything must be Outsourced to Indians or Pakistanis

 

[SpArK]

Do the Saudis even know to repair a Nut and Screws of an F-15 Plane

Everything must be Outsourced to Indians or Pakistanis

They have maintainence companies doing the job well.

:: Alsalam Aircraft Co.::

 

[Ras]

Israel shud Buy Sukhoi-30s Frm Russia As Well which is Better than F-15s and Sukhoi 30s with Israeli Avionics, Sensors, Jammers wud make it a Beast..

Putting All Eggs in American Basket is Not Wise and these Americans wud go any extent to sell their Aircrafts to Saudis Due to their $$$$$$

ya sure

 

[bc040400065]

They have maintainence companies doing the job well.

:: Alsalam Aircraft Co.::

But whats the need for these expensive toys?
against Iran?? well i think saudia have gone mad.

Iran's 30 to 40 years old stuff cannot even match Syrian AF forget about the other Arab states.

 

[Patriot]

Yeah; I don't see Iran AF being a threat to any Arab Country - Their Air Force is junk air force where as Arabs have top of the line F-15's F-16's EuroFighters.

 

[jha]

They need to keep the armed forces happy with shiny toys...

 

[RescueRanger]

Saudi's going on a shopping spree... Interesting, but what's the point when the yanks are sitting just an hours drive outside Mecca.

 

[Patriot]

They need to keep the armed forces happy with shiny toys...

Yeah! Imagine how happy Saudi Pilots would be - They have got to fly the best fighter jets and they won't most likely fight in any war directly - Just awesome job - You get good pay fly fighter jets and then relax.Don't have to worry like Pakistani, US or Indian Military where war can happen anytime.

 

[jha]

Yeah! Imagine how happy Saudi Pilots would be - They have got to fly the best fighter jets and they won't most likely fight in any war directly - Just awesome job - You get good pay fly fighter jets and then relax.Don't have to worry like Pakistani, US or Indian Military where war can happen anytime.

Its really good thing that they dont have to worry about wars..

Who knows better than a soldier that WAR is a very bad thing to happen..

 

[marcos98]

Israel unlikely to protest F-15 sale to Saudi Arabia​

Washington Watch: The times they are a-changin?

Saudi Arabia is about to make the most expensive arms deal in history – $60 billion for 84 new F- 15 fighters and upgrades for 70 older models plus nearly 200 Apache, Black Hawk and Long Bird helicopters – and there’s nary a peep from Israel or its Washington lobby.

In fact, they’ve privately blessed the sale, according to Congressional, Israeli and lobby sources. Formal notification for the sale is expected shortly, and all indications point to no serious effort to block it.

Maybe just some huffing and puffing from politicians trying to burnish their pro-Israel hardline bonafides.

One big reason is that Israeli defense firms stand to make tens of millions on the Saudi sale by manufacturing key components, including the vertical stabilizers, portions of the wings and the conformal fuel pods for the Saudi F-15s.

“The word from the (Israeli) embassy and AIPAC is they have no objections, just some small concerns,” said a senior Congressional foreign policy advisor. In fact, AIPAC hasn’t challenged Arab arm sales since 1986 out of fear of impeding its access in the Executive Branch.

“Even if they want to go to the barricades, they don’t have the troops up here,” said the Hill source.

That was confirmed by others close to the lobby.

Those lucrative contracts for Israel are not the only reason the sale will sail through.

Israeli officials have been praising the Obama administration for consulting closely on the Saudi package and providing assurances the Saudis will not get the same level of avionics and armaments on the IAF F-15, particularly precision-guided, longrange standoff weapons.

Israel’s main concern is the possibility that the Apache attack helicopters will be based at Tabuk, the Saudi air base less than 150 miles from Eilat, but they are optimistic that will be solved.

THE SAUDIS also have been helpful in pushing a reluctant Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to the negotiating table with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (although the administration is still upset that they refuse any public confidence building measures toward Israel).

Israel no longer sees Saudi Arabia as a threat (despite the official state of war) but as an ally against their mutual enemy, Iran. Security services of both countries have been exchanging intelligence reports on what’s going on in Iran, although I’m told neither one has good sources inside the Islamic republic.

Although the administration is assuring Congress that the Saudi sale won’t alter the balance of power in the region, its intention is to do just that. This is a continuation of the Bush policy of beefing up the defenses of friendly Gulf states to show them and Iran America is serious about defending them. But don’t look for any of them to attack Iranian nuclear sites; they’re still praying five times a day that Israel will do that job for them so they can be rid of the Iranian threat (and still run off to the United Nations to condemn the Zionist aggressors).

The Saudi deal is one of two major weapons sales that will be pumping billions of dollars into the Israeli economy. The bigger one is the sweetheart deal the Israelis have negotiated over their purchase of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the world’s most advanced and most expensive.

Acquiescing to the Saudi deal may have helped pave the way for the favorable arrangements on the F-35.

Israel plans initially to buy 20 F-35s for about $2.75 billion, which it can pay for out of its annual $3 billion foreign aid grant. Its defense industry will also be getting about $4 billion in contracts, called offsets, to build wing assemblies and other critical components for global sales of the plane by its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. That amount will rise as the number of Israeli orders rises.

SOME IN the US defense industry are complaining that the two deals, which will pump billions into the Israeli economy, will take away American jobs.


One rationale for this unprecedented arrangement reportedly is that the Obama administration and Lockheed Martin believe the Israeli sale gives the F- 35 the prestige of an endorsement by one of the world’s top air forces. The offsets, better than given any other buyer, are a sales incentive; final terms remain to be negotiated.

The new Israeli-Saudi connection is born of self-interest.

Don’t expect the two to become fast friends – but look for a growing web of security and economic relationships as the Iran threat mounts.

 

[bc040400065]

Israel shud Buy Sukhoi-30s Frm Russia As Well which is Better than F-15s and Sukhoi 30s with Israeli Avionics, Sensors, Jammers wud make it a Beast..

Putting All Eggs in American Basket is Not Wise and these Americans wud go any extent to sell their Aircrafts to Saudis Due to their $$$$$$

The problem for Isreal is that they buy american stuff from the military Aid US grants them. They will be paying the F35 acquisition from the same US aid. and one cannot buy any other hardware from any other country using the US aid. So if they go for SU30 or Su35 then they would have to pay for it from their own funds. American hardware is free of cost as compared to any other country's stuff.