Posted on 02/03/2005 8:44:39 AM PST by CarrotAndStick
WARNING: For discussion purposes only. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL.
Foreign report can reveal that the nuclear co-operation between India and Israel has never been as good as it is now. Eliyahu Leviteh, deputy director of Israel's nuclear energy agency, paid a visit to India in early December 2004 for meetings with his Indian counterparts. It seems that India and Israel are building up an alliance against Pakistan, a Muslim nuclear power, and, just possibly, Iran, which the Israelis believe has nuclear ambitions. We disclose the latest information about the size of the Israeli nuclear forces.
The visit of Leviteh, a veteran Israeli expert on nuclear non-proliferation, signals the highest level of secret co-operation with another country. How big are the nuclear arsenals of the two countries? Our informant believes that Israel has some 200 warheads capable of being launched from land, sea and air. The Indian arsenal is thought to be smaller.
Information about Israeli-Indian co-operation is top secret. Our informant has few details but, apparently, Leviteh was authorised by the government to give India an idea of the effectiveness of the Israeli nuclear armoury.
It appears that the Israelis have improved their platforms for carrying nuclear warheads. Foreign Report can reveal that Indian pilots visited Israel recently and were guests of the new strategic long-haul F-16I squadron. It is believed that the Indian pilots received a thorough briefing about this strategic squadron, which the Israelis are preparing, along with their F-151 squadron, for an attack on a foreign target, possibly Iran.
US pilots outwitted
Foreign report has obtained some intriguing information about a related development that could affect Israel's relations with the pro-Israeli US administration. By our informant's account, a number of Indian and US pilots practised dogfights, in which the US airmen expected their Indian counterparts to be wiped off their radar screens. The opposite is said to have happened. The US pilots were time and again 'shot down' by the Indian pilots. How come?
When the US pilots were debriefed by their commanders, they insisted that the Indians were flying in strange formations, almost like the Israelis. When the US investigated, it discovered that the Indian interception pilots had received special training in Israel from Israeli interception pilots. But this explanation was not enough for the US top brass. Further investigation showed that the Israelis had sold some of their latest air-to-air missiles, which can be launched in 360 degrees, to India. The US was furious; its pilots have no missiles of this kind. The US was aware of the Israeli capability, but was astonished about the sale to the Indians.
Amos Yaron, Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Defence, was asked for an explanation by the US, which had provided the finance for the Israelis to develop their missiles, although not the know-how. Yaron's explanation was not good enough for the US, so it approached the Israeli government and demanded Yaron be replaced. If he was not removed, there would be no US military co-operation. Nothing happened. Yaron will step down from his job in the summer. But what about Israel and the Indians?
Our prediction: The close Indo-Israeli relationship will continue, as will the much closer Israeli-US relationship. Israel's friends in Washington will see to that.
Amen!
(Kings of the East?)
Since when does conservative Jane's write articles tabloid-style?!
I wouldn't buy into it the pentagon is trying to downplay the performance of the F-15 against the russian built su-27 in order to justify the need for the f-22 raptor. Most of these countries don't put any where near the training time in as us pilots.
A close Indo-American relationship wouldn't hurt, either.
I agree that the pentagon marginalizes a lot of weapons systems to benefit development programs. It is a tradition. That said, it has worked well in many cases, producing solid leads in military technology. In the case of the F-22, I favor keeping the F-15 around for a while and cutting the former. For that matter, bring 105's back - fastest thing under 20K feet, ever.
Jane's is starting to suck with this kind of trash.
One more thing. I'm not demeaning the IAF, They are a very professional group and probably very fine pilots and I applaud and support them whole heartedly. But who have they ever really fought? Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Not exactly a bunch of aces. They even complained about the f-15s we gave them.
Today's American pilots have not fought Luftwaffe or Russian WWII aces either.
The whole region gets more interesting by the moment.
The Israeli airforce has patented modern aerial warfare.Starting with the 6 day war(first use of AAMs) to the 82 Bekaa conflict(use of AWACS datalinks,UAVs,network warfare & a subsequent 90-0 record).The Israeli Python-4 AAM(which is probably the weapon mentioned in the article) was superior to the American Sidewinder,till it's lastest variant,the AIM-9X entered service(a good 10 years after the Python-4).Most folks don't know that Israeli pilots regularly took on & even shot down Soviet pilots who were flying Syrian & Egyptian planes prior to the Yom Kippur war of '74.Not to mention the constant reports of them trouncing American & German pilots.
Jordanian,Saudi or even Egyptian pilots can't ever be considered as louts.Many of them have trained/or train with American,British & French airforces.
Well, I would say there may be some points of contention here especially about the first to use aam missles but as I said I don't take anything away from the IAF. And correct that todays stock of Af pilots have not had to engage with the aces of the past or present if there are any. So for the most part, I stand corrected or even educated.
"...Iran, which the Israelis believe has nuclear ambitions."
NO! Say it aint so!
This is quite exciting - the whole story.
Yes thats true. In the early days of the 1973 Yom Kippur war the IAF took quite a few losses. Mostly from sams. Then the IAF devised a plan to knock them out and the IAF really took it to the Egyptians and who ever was flying against them. They were using their indigenous version of the mirage (KFIR) with US made GE J79 engines I believe. Again, I take nothing away from the ability of the IAF. I would definitely want them fighting on my side in a war.
Thanks. I let them have it. I doubt that Israel will let ANYONE from ANY foreign country near its nuclear secrets.
The Kfir was based on the Mirage-5 strike jet to be more precise.The Mirage-3 was the frontline IAF fighter of the 60s.
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