US selling Apache helicopters to Egypt
The United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on May 22 of the possible sale of 12 Apache Longbow attack helicopters to Egypt. On May 22, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Egypt of 12 AH-64D Block II APACHE Longbow Helicopters and associated equipment, parts, training and support for an estimated cost of $820 million.Coincidentally, or perhaps not, some blogs have reported that the United States has refused to sell the same helicopter to Israel. Other blogs have questioned the authenticity of the original source for the report that Israel has been denied the same helicopter. According to that source, Israel asked to buy six of the helicopters and the request is under review.
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This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East. This sale is consistent with these U.S. objectives and with the 1950 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.
Egypt will use the AH-64D for its national security and protecting its borders. The aircraft will provide the Egyptian military more advanced targeting and engagement capabilities. The proposed sale will provide for the defense of vital installations and will provide close air support for the military ground forces. Egypt will have no difficulty absorbing these helicopters into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
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This notice of a potential sale is required by law. It does not mean that the sale has been concluded.
Hmmm.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:15 AM
4 Comments:
Buy Russian helicopters! Or is Israel dependent exclusively upon the US as its sole arms supplier? Its time to diversify!
No, don't buy Russian. We need the equipment to actually work. Now would be a good time for Israel to get into the helicopter building bidness.
We should definitely team up with the Russians, as well as India for weapons development. Israeli quality control and avionics added some of the Russian Airframes could work very well.
What Sukhoi and IAI could cook up between them cold be excellent
My understanding of the foreign assistance the US sends Israel is that Israel has to spend it to buy American.
As for Russian, there are some serious reliability issues with the latest Sukhois as illustrated by what was seen at Red Flag and with the recent Indian crash. Russian helicopters aren't reliable, if Israel was going to go outside the US for attack, the only viable option is Eurocopter Tiger or the Mangusa.
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