I think Isreal would have gotten a better deal if they waited for President Cruz or Trump.
They will still need to “wait” for the new President to sign off on any package. This is just an initial OK.
Unless we are talking of an emergency transfer, which doesn’t make sense the KC-46 is a brand-new system yet to be exported, it will take Israel at least 1-2 years to PREPARE to receive the new tankers. Might as well start early.
They're getting it and we're paying for it. What better deal could President Cruz or President Trump give them?
If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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“I think Israel would have gotten a better deal if they waited for President Cruz or Trump.”
Which is probably why they broke down and agreed to transfer now. At least they can collect a little baksheesh on the deal before they are out of office.
In all likelihood it probably wasn’t about waiting for the next President. It was about going with the Airbus option.
Doesn't get much better than free. Israel Aerospace Industries already offers tanker conversions of commercial aircraft, but the Israelis would have to pay hard money for them.
The Boeing built KC-46A will come out of the annual military aid money that the U.S. gives to Israel every year, but can only be spent on U.S. built products.