Israel Receives Planes From Military Deal

[DuctapeFatwa]

Guided to ground by American pilots and Israeli navigators, the first two of a new fleet of the most advanced F-16 fighter jets landed Thursday at a dusty desert airbase in southern Israel.

The warplanes, the first of 102 to be supplied by the American company, Lockheed Martin, at a cost of $4.5 billion, represent Israel's largest-ever military purchase and a counter to a possible Iranian nuclear threat.

The U.S. aeronautics giant created the F-16I specifically for the needs of the Israeli military. At an air force ceremony, officials said it was an example of the high level of cooperation between the two countries.

The major modification on the Sufa (Storm), as the jet is called in Hebrew, is a pair of external fuel tanks above the central fuselage, extending the range of the jet - and the reach of the Israeli air force - by 25 percent.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/7992014.htm

[loudnclear]

1. Get ready, we will be at war with Iran in support of Israel just before

the November election.

[54anickel]

2. Was just thinking on the same line 1st test run, Iran nuclear power plant

[madrchsod]

3. i guess i will have to

write another check tomorrow, who do i make it out to? the idf?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. Oh good

More toys to kill innocent people with. As if they don't already have enough.

[willat]

5. F-16

Hoo-Raa! That's a nice piece of hardware, even if it is old.

[bemildred]

6. I don't see how this is "a counter to a possible Iranian nuclear threat".

What are they going to do, fly the jets up there and shoot
down the missiles as they come in?

These do have the range to reach Iran, but I haven't heard
any coherent description of what they would do once there.
Just bombing some random places would not accomplish much.

But I'm sure Lockheed Martin is glad to have the business.

[earthman dave]

8. Simple

Fly around Iran until they get scared enough to develop a nukular program, then use that as an excuse to nuke them. Nukular threat countered, everybody's happy.

[Bandit]

7. Let's see Israel pays 4.5 billion and we give Israel how much?

Why play the games. We give Israel billions every year for their defense and then they spend that money on American weapons made by huge GOP contributors. Amazing isn't it?

[Florida_Geek]

9. Did the check go directly from Washington to FOB

http://www.ciaimages.com/stories.asp?story=214&speed=low

"Israel ordered 102 jets in a $2.7 billion contract in 1999. The recent completion of the first one is a month or two behind schedule according to officials"


In 1999 the order was for 2.7 Billion NOW 4+ Billion

[question everything]

10. BINGO

For all the ones who are crying that the U.S. is spending so much on foreign aid - to Israel and to others - who tend to forget that 90 percent of it goes back to support the local economy.

And then, there are other modes of pressure. Some years back El Al, the Israeli airlines was seriously considering purchasing jets from Airbus. Then came the ultimatum to give the business to Boeing.