Posted on 06/20/2025 7:08:16 AM PDT by Red Badger
The war with Iran proves once again the importance for Israel to have an American strategic bomber as part of the Israeli Air Force's aircraft arsenal.
B-52 Stratofortress Strategic Bomber
The war with Iran proves once again the importance for Israel to have an American strategic bomber as part of the Israeli Air Force's aircraft arsenal. Twice, in 2013, during my tenure as Ambassador in Washington, and later, as a Member of Knesset in 2018, I asked the United States to sell us a strategic bomber. I understood that the U.S. would not be willing to sell us one of their advanced B-1 or B-2 stealth aircraft, but I hoped that they would be willing to part with a Cold War era B-52.
The reason for my initiative was simple. Some day, I knew, Israel would act to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. To achieve that, Israel would have to destroy Iranian enrichment sites, especially numbers of which were heavily fortified and embedded underground. Most challenging was the formerly secret Fordow facility, exposed by Israeli and American intelligence and revealed by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2009, which was situated hundreds of feet beneath the surface of the mountain.
The Israeli Air Force, armed exclusively with F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets all with relatively short ranges and limited payloads, were incapable of carrying the 30,000 pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator which alone could destroy Fordow. The B-52 bomber, flying at a height of 50,000 feet—twice the altitude of a commercial airliner—was beyond the reach of Iran’s air defenses.
By selling us even one B-52, I told White House officials, the United States would be sending an unequivocal message to the Iranian regime regarding America’s commitment to preventing Iran from producing nuclear bombs.
From the Obama Administration, my request was met with an emphatic “no.” From the first Trump Administration, the answer was "It’s an interesting idea, we’ll think about it.” In reply, I suggested that instead of selling us a plane, the Americans lease one to us. But the response was once again negative. So, too, was their reaction to my final request that an Israeli Air Force crew be able to train on a B-52 just in case one became available.
Today, with the Fordow facility intact, my attempts to procure the means for Israel to destroy it seem justified. Had we possessed even one strategic bomber Israel would not be in the position of wondering whether the United States will perform the task for us. We would mitigate the claims, now being made by both the left and the right in the United States, that Israel is dragging America into another endless Middle Eastern war.
Just as the Biden Administration’s decision not to supply us with certain types of ammunition convinced the Israelis of the need to produce our own artillery shells and tanks, so too must the current war in Iran convince us of the need to develop our own strategic air capabilities. While we greatly appreciate the support we have received and will undoubtedly continue to receive from the Trump Administration, Israel must always strive to be able to defend itself, on its own, against any threat in the Middle East.
This article has been modified from a piece published in Hebrew on YNET.
https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r1k00mognee
Take a C-17 and develop a reliable payload ejection mechanism that drops a GBU-57 out the back. It’s modern and the structural integrity to get the job done.
Aviation Ping!....................
“You better brush up on your flying skills. Thank you for volunteering.”
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No prob.
“So there I was, flying a B-2 Bomber over the country of Iran....preparing to save the world from unspeakable evil...”
It’ll make a hell of a bar story!
Probably attract more chicks than back when I was a cocaine dealer. 😁
In this case perhaps a lease. They can pay us with the money we gave them.
C141s why oh why would you want 1960s era turbojet cargo planes the only reason those where made is we had just one engine at the time in the 10000lb thrust class the J57 and in typical American fashion we slapped it everything with wings. The 141,B52,U2,DC8, 707 and every derivative of the 707 like C135, stratotankers you name it. Then the J57 was uprated to the J75,J52, and adding a fan made the JT8D which powered the 737,727,DC9 all the same core. All the same crap fuel economy too. But if that’s the engine you have that’s the engine you use. It’s why there are 8 on a B52 there was no 20,000lb thrust class engine when it was designed. So a C141 is four engines shy of a B52 in range and payload.
Israel would be better off getting an Airbus turboprop or using a 777 or 767 as a modification project bomb bays cut into the frame rings of an aircraft so much mods are needed it’s not just cut a opening and put doors under it.
There was a project using 747 and launchers that chunked missiles out the rear side cargo doors using a rail system and rotary holder’s a 747 would carry 100 ALCM a 777 is similar in size again they lack the time to do the mods. It was always expected that the USA would take out those deep sites in Iran if they ever got close to a weapon. Well that day is here.
Not true.
They just asked for another "emergency aid" package on top of their annual billions. And that's on top of the two $14 billion+ "emergency aid" packages Biden gave them since Oct 7th.
So don't tell me only asking for "just one plane."
And, in 2012, ... Boeing gouging taxpayers ... Burma studies transsexual turtles ...
Nice try at deflection, but utterly irrelevant.
"Since we waste money on X, we should waste money on Y."
That's hardly a conservative argument. If we were talking about any other welfare recipient than Israel, you wouldn't embarrass yourself by making it.
General "Buck" Turgidson
‘Rods from God’, call on line 1. . .
Not sure what it is, but something tells me that Israel will present quite the surprise fairly soon...
There’s a huge used plane lot just off I-10 in Arizona. Come on down!
Nothing that wouldn't BUFF right out.
Which Israel probably already has.
What about finding an old Avro Vulcan
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No parts.
I have to believe that the mossad has those on film from the 50’s and 60’s. LOL
My Dad was in Army intelligence. He was a photographer. He could shoot a briefcase full of documents in about three minutes. LOL.
Some of these drawings are on ‘D’ size velllum 24×36 inches..............
The lend lease act to get World War I era destroyers to Great Britian when they were fighting alone against Hitler comes to mind.
Australia should sell them FB 111’s
make your own airplanes, Israel
You just have to put them on the floor. Ha ha.
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