Israel sells missile ships, helicopters to Mexico for $90 million (Haaretz)

Haaretz ^ | 12/23/03 | Haaretz

[Mark Felton]

Israel sells missile ships, helicopters to Mexico for $90 million (Haaretz)

Breaking Headline in the scroll at top of Haaretz webpage.

[Mark Felton]

The drug and flesh smugglers will be rejoicing.

[Calpernia]

ping

[explodingspleen]

The drug and flesh smugglers will be rejoicing.

On the contrary, I can think of absolutely no other use Mexico would have for missile ships other than combatting the subs and cargo ships controlled by the smugglers.

[Finalapproach29er]

What the hell is Mexico up to?

Disloyal S.O.B.'s.!! I Say we cut back the amount allowed sent back to to Mexico. Disloyalty should be answered in kind.

[GeronL]

Oh no, they are a threat to our soveriegnty! They might invade.... oh wait, they've been doing that for decades.

[RLK]

Mexico really has a gret need for missiles and missile ships.

[RLK]

Mexico really has a great need for missiles and missile ships.

[JustPiper]

What the H@##?!

[Fledermaus]

Why would Israel do this?

[JustPiper]

Mexico connection ping! Cal, please get the story if you can? I couldn't find it.

[EGPWS]

Mexico really has a great need for missiles and missile ships.

Apparently so.

And all this time I thought they were striving for financial parity for the people of Mexico as to stifle the need for some to crash the borders of the US to achieve financial parity.

[RLK]

Every two-bit yokel and despot thinks he must have an army. To hell with anything else.

[malia]

bump for more info

[DumpsterDiver]

This is what I found at Google.

Mexico buys Israeli missile ships, helicopters for $90 million

By Amnon Barzilai, Haaretz Correspondent
Last Update: 23/12/2003 07:36

Mexico has bought two Israeli-made missile ships and transport helicopters from Israel Defense Forces surplus for $90 million, one of the largest sales of used Israeli equipment in recent years.

The ships remain in Israel, and are undergoing renovations. According to the terms of the sales contract signed by the two countries' defense ministries, the ships will be transferred to Mexico after the renovations are completed, and after Mexican naval crews complete a training course on use of the ships. The two ships were sold for $66 million.

The vessels were built in the Israel Shipyards in the 1970s and are considered to be direct "descendants" of the French missile ships sold to Israel in the 1960s and smuggled out of Cherbourg port after Paris imposed an arms embargo on the Middle East, following the 1967 Six-Day War. The ships are equipped with helicopter landing pads and can handle Israeli-made Gabriel surface-to-surface missiles, U.S.-made Harpoon missiles, and U.S.-made anti-aircraft weapons. The ships can reach maximum speeds of about 30 knots - 48 kph. - and weigh 480 tons. They carry crews of 40.

Israel stopped manufacturing this line of missile ships in the 1980s, and began producing much larger (1,300 ton) Sa'ar 5 vessels.