Small bit of good news: US sells Israel 3 C-130J cargo planes
I'm not sure why Haaretz is referring to a $210 million arms deal as 'massive' - that's chump change in the world of arms dealing. And I'm also not sure which of the two planes pictured at top left Israel is actually getting. But the small piece of good news out of Washington this week is that the US is selling us three C-130J Hercules military cargo planes. No, they're not bombers and the F-35 negotiations I've discussed many times still haven't been concluded. But they're selling us something. According to the deal, Israel will purchase three new Hercules C-130J airplanes. The deal for the three aircrafts, designed by Lockheed Martin, is worth roughly a quarter billion dollars. Each aircraft costs $70 million.Given that the US is rumored to have put an arms embargo on Israel, there's a part of me that views this sale as a way of eating up Israel's aid money that has to be spent in the US anyway without actually selling us anything that can be used as a weapon. After all, the C-130J is a cargo plane. In other words, it's not very helpful. And that makes me wonder even more why HaAretz, which hates Netanyahu, would be playing it up.
The aircrafts were manufactured specifically for Israeli needs, and include a large number of systems produced by Israel's defense industry.
The deal will be covered by American foreign assistance funds. The Pentagon will issue a formal announcement on the matter on Thursday evening.
America and Israel have still not reached an agreement regarding the purchase of the Lockheed F-35 war plane. It is still not clear when that deal, which is estimated to be worth more than $3 billion, will finally be sealed and carried out.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:44 AM
2 Comments:
During the apartheid-era South Africa was often doing deals like this for military transports - basically they purchased necessary military equipment without going strictly against the arms embargo.
If Israel is doing this there's a very good chance the US is clamping down on actual arms deals.
What a pity we never built the Lavi.
Yes they are cargo planes, but they can be fitted with tanks to refuel aircraft in the air, they can also carry soldiers vast distance like Operation Entebbe and carry paratroopers or other special forces long distances and let them parachute out
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