Reblogged from debka.com
DEBKAfile Special Report August 10, 2015, 7:52 PM (IDT)
American Boeing KC-46A refueling tanker
US defense and air industry sources report that the
Israeli Air Force may give up on the US Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus as its
future refueling tanker for long-range flights because of delays in its
delivery. Israel had first planned to take the Pegasus to replace its
converted Boeing 707 when delivery was first to the US Air Force was
scheduled for August 2017. But this week, the company put the date back
by another eight months and the price increased by half a billion
dollars.
American sources point out that if Israel wants to retain the option of
attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities when Barack Obama exits the White
House in January 2017, it can’t wait for the brand-new US Pegasus
tanker, which doubles as a military transport plane, to come off the
Boeing production line and be delivered to its air force. The Boeing 707
in current service, after a multibillion investment in its conversion
to a long-flight refueling tanker, no longer meets the fluctuating
conditions in the Middle East. Work is therefore going ahead on the
conversion of the Boeing 767 as its replacement.
On July 22, debkafile’s
military sources revealed a mammoth transaction for Iran to purchase
Russian UL78 MK1 (Midas) tankers with a range of 7,300km. (The distance
from Iran to Israel is 1,200km). Each tanker is capable of spontaneously
feeding 6-8 fighter craft.
This purchase represented Tehran’s aspiration - not just to draw level
with Israel but to outdo its air force in range and fueling capability.
This transaction no doubt spurred the decision by Israel’s defense
chiefs to go ahead on its own project, instead of waiting for the
American KC-46A to become available.
Israel Aerospace Industries [IAI] is therefore working at top speed on
the Boeing 767, a long-range, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner with a
range of 7,000 to 11,000 km. The converted aircraft will be designated
767-200ER MRTT.
In an interview published by the German newspaper Der Spiegel on Aug. 8,
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said: “Ultimately it is very clear, one
way or another, Iran’s military nuclear program must be stopped. We will
act in any way, including taking military action, and are not willing
to tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. We prefer that this be done by means
of sanctions, but in the end, Israel should be able to defend itself.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comment is appreciated and helps me in choosing various subjects for my posts. Thank you. Ce blogger apprécie vos commentaires qui l´aident à choisir de nouveaux thèmes.. Seus comentarios são bemvindos e ajudam este blogger na escolha de uma variedade de temas.