WASHINGTON: The United States unveiled plans yesterday to sell $10bn worth of advanced missiles and aircraft to Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in a bid to counter the threat posed by Iran.
It was highly unusual for the Pentagon to announce an arms deal covering three countries and the move seemed to be designed to send a warning to Iran that Washington’s partners in the region were beefing up their military power.
But officials insisted the arms package did not reflect any shift in US policy on Iran.
The elaborate deal would provide Israel with anti-radiation missiles designed to take out enemy air defences, radar for fighter jets, aerial refuelling tankers and Osprey V-22 tilt-rotor transport aircraft, defence officials told reporters.
Israel would be the first foreign country to be allowed to buy the US military’s Osprey, which can take off and land like a helicopter but fly with the speed of a plane, officials said.
The deal “not only sustains but augments Israel’s qualitative military edge,” said a senior defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Under the package, which is still being finalized, the US government will sell 26 F-16 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates as well as sophisticated missiles for the warplanes, which officials would not specify.
The UAE part of the arms deal comes to nearly $5bn, officials said. Saudi Arabia, which had already agreed to buy 84 F-15 fighters in 2010, would purchase the same advanced missiles provided to the United Arab Emirates, allowing Saudi fighters to strike ground targets at a safe distance.
Pentagon officials unveiled the deal a day before Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel’s departure on a week-long trip to the region.
Bolstering Israel’s air power with crucial mid-air refuelling tankers and missiles is sure to fuel speculation that Washington could be helping Israel to prepare for a preemptive strike against Iran.
AFP
