Allies eye Israeli jet deal

Oh politics, you make me so fucking sick to my stomach.

It would have been nice to have the F-35 Fighters but if Obama and his crowd are more concerned about cosying up to Israel than giving a level playing field to the countries that funded the development of this plane, it's time we went shopping somewhere else.

Perhaps in the future when the US government decides it needs our resources or money for a project, we can point them towards their favorite welfare recipient Israel.

I am disheartened that "johnny come lately" Israel is getting a sweeter deal than partners who have been involved since day one.

I hope the partners will call on Lockheed Martin to explain itself.

They did. It goes like this: "Washington told us too". Now you understand why its such a political move to ensure everybody else pays premium for the fighters and lots of them.

This shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Washington has long given Israel tons of money/military aid.

What is a little more shocking is Israels demand that they be allowed to build the fighter there. They want the US to not only give them the fighters for free but to pay their workers top dollar to build them in essence taking away US jobs.

I don't recall DND or any other defence department of the partners asking LM why Israel (a non partner) is getting disproportionate level of contracts.



Aid (straight up cash) is one thing, diverting contracts away from partners of the F-35 program toward a non partner is something entirely different.



It can't be profitable to build such a short run in Israel... also I'm surprised the Americans would allow it, considering the relationship Israel has with China.

Unwise, in one word.

Why would that be public at all? I can easily see it happening just as I can easily see the US telling all its allies that certain concessions are contingent upon purchasing the F35. This is how we lost the arrow.




Does a spoiled child simply take the toy and leave it at that or do they keep asking for more?




Of course it won't be profitable, unless the US is footing the bill to LM. Given what Israel has gotten out of the US I'm not surprised.

Haven't read anything about the Israel-China connection though. Do tell.

We lost the Arrow because we had a short-sighted PM.



It is suspected that the J-10 was built using designs and technology from Israel's aborted Lavi project. The two planes do bear more than a passing resemblance.





Israel was ready to provide China with its Phalcon AWACS system before the United States stepped in.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/830609.stm

Israel supplying UCAV's to China.

http://www.sinodefence.com/news/2004/news041225.asp

Israel suspected of sending Patriot missile tech to China.

http://tech.mit.edu/V112/N13/china.13w.html

Israel licences IR AAM to China.

http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl8.asp

Israel was, at one point, frozen out of the F-35 program because of its defence relations with China. They have since been "allowed back in".

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/rep ... ment-0377/

The Americans should watch who they sell their top shelf weapons to. I have no doubt Israel would sell American interests down the river if the price was right.