Report: Israeli air force to join overseas exercises with eye on Iran

Xinhuanet ^

[nuconvert]

JERUSALEM, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Air Force (IAF) plans to partake in several aerial drills abroad later this year in a bid to train its pilots for long-range flights, reported local daily The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

The air force will send F-16C fighter jets to the U.S. state of Nevada later this month for the Red Flag exercise at the Nellis Air Force Base, and meanwhile dispatch several C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to participate in the Rodeo 2009 competition at the McChord Air Force Base in the state of Washington, said the report.

In addition, the IAF will take part later this year in a joint aerial exercise with a NATO-member state, which is yet to be identified, added the report, quoting Israeli defense officials assaying that the overseas exercises would be used to drill long-range maneuvers.

The plans were disclosed on a day when Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview with ABC that Israel, as "a sovereign nation," can make its own decisions relative to Iran, which Israel regards as its main security threat, and anyone else.

The Jewish state and its main ally, the United States, have long been accusing Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under the disguise of a civilian nuclear energy project and thus posing a great danger to the whole world, but Iran has firmly denied the charges.

Israel has said that diplomacy is its preferred way to solve the Iranian nuclear issue, while vowing that should diplomacy fail, it would use all means necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

In 2007, Israeli warplanes bombed a suspected nuclear site inside Syria. Last summer, over 100 IAF jets flew over Greece in an exercise widely seen as a test-run for a potential air raid on Iran's nuclear facilities.

[SunkenCiv]

will send F-16C fighter jets to the U.S. state of Nevada later this month for the Red Flag exercise at the Nellis Air Force Base, and meanwhile dispatch several C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to participate in the Rodeo 2009 competition at the McChord Air Force Base in the state of Washington

[TBall]

Ya really think Obama will allow this to happen?

[austinaero]

Wow! 100 IAF Jets in a flyover!!! Jeez, I would love to have seen that!

[alecqss]

I hope Israelis will manage to take Nutjob out before Obama apologies to him for America thinking bad about Nutjob’s noble intentions...

[GSP.FAN]

The Israeli F-16I Soufa/Sufah (Storm/Thunderstorm), compliments Israel's deterrent strategy by further strengthening the potential threat to carry out retaliatory strikes throughout the Middle East. The extended flight range reportedly allows Israeli forces to attack targets well within Iran without having to refuel. Some offered the interpretation that the 'I' in the F-16I, stands for Iran [actually it stands for Israel]. The bumps over the wing on both sides of the plane are conformal fuel tanks. Use of conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) extends the F-16's effective mission range/loiter time up to 50 percent, depending on the mission profile. CFTs can be used for both air-to-ground and air-to-air missions. They can be easily removed. They also increase weapon payloads by freeing-up additional store stations. The baseline F-16 has a combat radius of 740 nm (1,370 km) with two 2,000-lb bombs and two AIM-9, with 1,040 US gal external tanks.

[Miss Behave]

Pretty cool. Bump.

[GSP.FAN]

He is to busy with saving the world, he has no idea what is going on..

[hoagy62]

They’re coming to McChord? I live about 1/2 mile off the north end of the runway. When they’re here, I’ll likely be able to see them.

If i see any of them, I’ll give them a hearty “Shalom”!

[GSP.FAN]

No need to ask permission from the Arabs or Obama to do a strike on Iran..

[rmlew]

Call me crazy, but I doubt the Israelis F-16Is would carry AIM-9 Sidewinders. Assuming they are not using AMRAAMS for standoff attack, they would use the Python 5, an Israeli all-angle helmet-sighted infra-red missile with a greater range than our Sidewinders.

[nuconvert]

Pong

[M. Espinola]

"I never meddle in the affairs of jihadist and communist dictatorships, only governments led by conservatives, such as Israel and Honduras. Bibi better not attack my good Muslim friends in Tehran. I will be very upset!"

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[SunkenCiv]

I’m sure he’ll be in Tehran that day anyway.