In an article in the Israeli daily Haaretz on July 29, Arens, an
aeronautics engineer, said an Israeli-origin combat aircraft could become an
alternative to the U.S.-origin Joint Strike Fighter. Israel has been under
strong U.S. pressure to purchase the F-35 despite reluctance of the
project's main partners to order the aircraft amid major technical delays.
"Perhaps none of them would be interested [in an Israeli fighter-jet],
and perhaps all of them would be," Arens said of Israel's potential
development partners. "It's worth a try."
Industry sources said the United States has sought to block an Israeli
attempt to produce a fighter-jet with other countries. In 2009, Washington
pressured Israel to suspend plans by the state-owned Israel Aerospace
Industries to team with Sweden's Saab to produce an advanced version of the
Gripen fighter-jet, Middle East Newsline reported.
Under the program, Saab would provide the basic Gripen platform with IAI
and other Israeli companies installing their avionics, electronic warfare
and airborne weapons. The sources said the Indian Air Force had been interested
in such a project.
Russia's Sukhoi was also said to have been wooing IAI for a joint
aircraft project. The sources said Sukhoi offered to provide an advanced
model fighter-jet for installation of Israeli-origin subsystems.
"We would have to look for partners who are prepared to invest resources
in such a project, who have the necessary technological capability, and who
are not involved in the F-35 project," Arens said.
Arens was a major supporter of Israel's Lavi fighter-jet project in the
1980s, canceled more than 20 years ago under heavy U.S. pressure. The U.S.
Congress had approved $1 billion in aid, but the Defense Department
as well as American contractors lobbied against Lavi, meant to exceed the
capabilities of the F-16A/B model.
"Does Israel still have the technological capability to design a
first-rate fighter aircraft?" Arens asked. "That needs to be examined in
some depth. No doubt some of the capability that existed at the time of the
Lavi project has been lost over the years, but as has been proved time and
again, Israel has a world-class technological capability."