Posted on 11/01/2020 4:10:14 AM PST by PIF
US President Donald Trump’s administration has reportedly approved the sale of advanced F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets to Israel, Asharq Al-Awsat reported Friday.
The Move said to come as part of efforts to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region after UAE is all set to get F-35’s from the US.
According to the report, the announcement was made by US Defense Secretary Mark Esper during his recent visit to Israel.
The US government also purportedly gave its nod to the selling of precision-guided munitions to the Israel Defense Forces.
On Tuesday, Haaretz reported that Israel sought to procure F-22 Raptors to maintain its qualitative military edge in the middle east region.
The US reportedly rejected Israel’s previous requests to acquire the Raptors despite showing interest in the aircraft on multiple occasions.
The US government is yet to officially announce the move. As of now, The F-22 cannot be exported under US federal law to protect its stealth technology and classified features.
This is why the America's Doesn't Export the F-22 Raptor. YouTube
(Excerpt) Read more at usadefensenews.com ...
He may approve the sale but it is complicated beyond normal FMS processes.
Absolutely not. The F-22 is the pinnacle of American air dominance technology. Allowing that technology to touch anyone else’s hands is a terrible idea.
A cut-down version without the stealth and avionics maybe, but absolutely NOT the whole thing.
That would involve FMS security deletions—a normal action for every FMS sale. And it is a complicated sale requiring a specific law to be changed or amended or revoked. Please see Post 12.
Not true
Its all in the software
And the Manufacturing Equipment is still in operation cranking out chips on those big 12 inch diameter wafers....as well as being improved in terms of chip density (linewidth) and reliability.
Spokeshave who previously worked in the semiconductor equipment business from 4 inch up to 12 inch wafer transitions.
I’d say it means the Israeli’s have put the F-35 through it’s paces and determined it’s not enough to defend the skies, and America agrees.
Crank UP production of F-22, slow DOWN production of F-35.
No.
Unless production has been continuing secretly, or the line conspicuously maintained, restarting would no doubt result is a new “block X” revision and take several years to do.
And would come at the expense of the current F-35 productions. Trying to restart the F-22 line would lead to increased prices for both. Something Lockheed would no doubt like.
Sure.
I think it’s a great reason to get the F-22 production line back up to speed (last one was delivered in 2012) and incorporate Israeli ideas and tech into new planes. Concerned, however, about the connections between Israel Aerospace Industries and China. They exist.
The F-22 WAS the pinnacle of American air dominance technology.
There are always new pinnacles in the works.
I think you are right. I saw articles about a Skunkworks like project that has designed a 6th gen stealth fighter that blows the doors off of any 5th gen system, at least on paper.
Sell our 5th gen pinnacle to our strongest allies to finance the acquisition of a 6th gen system. I suspect some will go to Japan as well. SK, the Brits and UA are likely not to get any as they are not strong Trumpians.
Its like the auto company execs who get the big discount and sell their cars for a profit once the new car smell starts to fade a tiny bit and get the latest and greatest. They rinse and repeat about every 6 months or so.
Business like thinking. Sounds very Trumpian.
Hell, if I think outside the box, this could be the stopgap for the defense industry to give them something to keep the doors open while they work on asteroid/lunar mining tech. I am going to make a crazy prediction. We will be mining off planet within 5 years.
UA should be AU, as in the Aussies.
I agree this is crazy complicated, and likely several at SSCI and ASC will try to influence a block.
However, with Moscow and Beijing expanding out like crazy across the ME, AND *Moscow having constructed advanced SIGINT and ELINT ufacs across Syria, with others now complete or under under construction in western Egypt, Eastern and Central Libya, an now in Eritrea (north of US Navy in DJ), which are now providing cover for Iranian backed Houthi in Yemen (to strategically weaken and threaten Saudi Arabian pipeline plans through Israel to the EU), and with Moscow now fielding its own S-500’s in Syria, providing cover for high volumes of previously Iraqi stored CBERN (emphasis on deep stored CHEM) from central Iraq, and Moscow now facilitating Iranian uranium enrichment in Syria, and now NATO being more marginalized in the Eastern Med (and Suez) — there may be enough motivation at SSCI to facilitate Trump’s effort at “peace through overwhelming fire power”.
The world is headed toward a real and hot WWIII, regardless of what everyone wants to know or believe. Deterrent is the only short term fix.
Yup. . .Step 1 is to have the congress change the law to allow F-22 FMS.
While I strongly agree with selling all types Gen 5 fighters to Israel, including the F-22, I would prefer to keep the Raptors for our own use. We don’t have enough of them to support our own Air Force.
B52’s loaded with hyper-sonic over the horizon air to air missiles should take out any opposing force in short order.
As I pointed out, FMS security deletions would be part of the package (we don’t sell with all the bells and whistles). That means we will always retain our qualitative edge. We learned that the hard way many years ago. And the cost to adjust the software is around a billion dollars. Very few can afford that. We won’t pay that because the USG in not allowed by law to make money on an FMS sale nor lose money either. The buyer bears all costs.
Great! Goos for Jerusalem’s defense and And this will lead to restarting production too. USA needs to be producing top level aircraft. The expertise and organizational skills dissipate when factories are shut down. (Even just producing a few very slowly maintains these abilities for America and we can always use a few new planes ).
You are correct for sure.
I still think Warner & company will attempt “bigly” to block this in SSCI however.
Sometimes I really believe these guys want a real and hot WWIII, which will absolutely happen, with or without us.
Like Reagan, Team Trump knows this, and is trying to thwart a hot WWIII on Trump’s watch. The only way to do this is through overwhelming weapons superiority, and willingness to use them.
Essentially/literally MAD doctrine.
It is where the world is at in the present.
If you watched the video - all of the factors you mention are covered
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