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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| AWACS diplomacy |
| 2006-09-25 |
| On Monday, a jet took off from Savannah, Georgia, and set its coordinates for Ben-Gurion International Airport outside of Tel Aviv. Stopping on the way to refuel in Canada and Ireland, the jet looked like any other Gulfstream G550, known as one of the most luxurious business jets in the world and price listed at around $50 million. But the jet was no ordinary business airliner, and it was being flown not by a wealthy businessman, but by an Israel Air Force pilot. It was heading to a welcoming ceremony in Israel, to be inaugurated as the IAF's first Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane in 14 years. During the ceremony, IAF Commander Maj.-Gen. Elazar Shkedy hinted at a connection between the plane's arrival and the nuclear threat emanating from Iran. Speaking of an "existential threat" looming in the Islamic Republic, Shkedy said the new AWACS was an essential operational tool that would be utilized to create aerial pictures deep inside enemy territory, and serve as a warning system for incoming aerial threats, such as Iranian ballistic missiles. |
| Posted by:elbud |
| #5 Ten years ago, I might have agree with gromky. Now, after all the tech transfer to China in return for contributions to the DNC, I don't think as much of the possibility. Plus, it's not impossible to design a system of your own. Maybe not as good as our top-flight marks, but then again, we gotten commuppances before. Remember our torpedoes in WWII? |
| Posted by: Jackal 2006-09-25 10:06 |
| #4 You think the Gulfstream is cool, try the grits, boiled peanuts and peaches. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-09-25 08:49 |
| #3 I suspect the Chinese have already received much of the technology from AWACS (regrettably). We have our own defectors who have passed along our secrets for a price. I can't think of a ally in greater need for this than Israel. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-09-25 08:05 |
| #2 Too bad about the Phalcon. Still, I'm sure it'll surface in a decade or so---as an original American product. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-09-25 07:20 |
| #1 Great! Then the Israelis can pass this tech on to the Chinese. Our best friend, Israel is. |
| Posted by: gromky 2006-09-25 00:46 |