Israel has shown renewed interest in acquiring Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor transport aircraft and additional Boeing F-15 multirole fighters, according to information obtained by IHS Jane’s .
The aircraft are being considered as part of a defence package that Israeli and US defence officials are negotiating in the wake of the deal aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The negotiations were suspended by Israel in protest at the Iranian deal, but have resumed after Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon visited Washington and met Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to discuss what military support the United States will provide to Israel over the next decade. The talks are expected to result in a significant increase in the USD3 billion in annual military aid that Israel currently receives, allowing it to increase the amount of US-made defence equipment it can purchase.
Earlier this year, Israel cancelled an agreement with the US to purchase V-22 Osprey tiltrotors to free up funds for more armoured personnel carriers.
Israel currently operates 25 F-15I Ra’am aircraft, a version of the F-15E Strike Eagle that was produced for it by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and delivered from 1998.
NBF- this makes sense unlike the other reports about an aircraft carrier
SOURCE – Janes
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