US refusing to let Israeli systems into F-35

[Paparock]

US refusing to let Israeli systems into F-35

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304788804&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull


An American refusal to permit the installation of Israeli-made defense systems in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) may postpone the planned delivery of the fifth-generation stealth jet beyond the target date of 2014, senior defense officials told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

According to the officials, defense industries such as Rafael, Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary Elta have protested the decision with Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen. Pinchas Buhris who last month made a lightning visit to Washington DC to discuss the issue with the Pentagon.

The officials said that the new Obama administration would likely make a decision on the issue in the coming months. Israel and the US are scheduled to sign a Letter of Agreement by the end of the year.

Negotiations on the integration of Israeli technology began several years ago after Israel paid $20 million to receive the low-level status of a Security Cooperation Participant in the JSF program. Nine countries - including the US, Britain, Turkey and Australia - are full members of the JSF program.

Last week, in an interview with Aviation Week, Maj.-Gen. Charles Davis, executive officer of the JSF program, said that Israel would not be allowed to put its own systems in the JSF, also known as the F-35.

"They [Israel] are going to buy aircraft that have basically the same capability as all the others," Davis told Aviation Week. "They are trying to do a requirements analyses for future missions. That [customization] is doable through software. It is not doable by Israelis sticking boxes in the airplane. [Elbit and Elta being involved] is not an option," he says.

srael has asked for the right to install its own electronic warfare, radar, munitions and command and control systems into the aircraft while citing special IAF operational requirements.

In the past, officials said, before announcing a decision to purchase an aircraft the MOD first negotiated the installation of Israeli-made systems and then announced that it had made a decision. This, officials said, was the case with the F-15I and the F-16I.

However in the case of the JSF, the US refused to conduct the negotiations with the MOD until an announcement that it would procure the plane had been made. The announcement was made in October in an official request to the Pentagon.

A defense industry source familiar with the negotiations between Israel and the US said that the talks were "tough" but predicted that a deal would be reached in the coming months and that Israel would finally place an official order.

Last week, the Post reported that each plane would cost Israel over $100 million and not the estimated $50-$60 million that Lockheed Martin had initially claimed it would cost.

Defense sources said that the cost would make it very difficult for Israel to see through with its initial intention to purchase 75 aircraft. He said that if not for operational considerations, the IDF would have preferred to wait several years before ordering the aircraft and once the price goes down.

[haamimhagolan]

Disappointing. I see history repeating itself once again.

Decades ago, when the F-16 was still early in its production run, the Israelis fought for the opportunity to license produce the F-16 in Israel. What they wanted was not merely an opportunity to retrofit Israeli avionics onto the airplane, but to modify the airframe - while it was still on the assembly line - to meet Israeli requirements for a longer range, higher payload warplane.

General Dynamics' Fort Worth Division (now Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth Division) wanted nothing to do with the idea. They were too afraid that Israel would develop an improved version of the F-16 that would cut into their exclusive sales. The Carter Administration was also intent on ensuring that the Israelis remained dependent on the US for spare parts - and the proposal for an Israeli derivative of the F-16 died.

Decades later, after orders from the US Air Force had dried up and Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth Division was eager to keep the assembly line open, Israel finally got the airplane that they had wanted: the F-16I. The sad part is, it could have happened two decades earlier.

The Pentagon needs to stop playing games. This is not a turf war. The Israeli air force has a lot of experience that could be of benefit to the US airframe. A joint development effort, to derive a two-seat version of the F-35 with longer range and better payload would benefit both nations. It's something that the Pentagon cannot afford on their own, and something that Israel needs. But instead of seeing this as an opportunity, the Pentagon bureaucracy insists on controlling every element of the airplane's construction. In the end, both nations will loose - again.

[namvet]

The officials said that the new Obama administration would likely make a decision on the issue in the coming months.

right now he's a little busy trying to find an honest cabinet and put us in debt forever. foriegn policy???? he never heard of it !!!!

[silent warrior]

i think india and israel should work together on new generation fighter , as india has adequate fund for starting a programme for new generation fighter and isreal is very good in missile system and in radar technology. and DRDO is also workin on aircraft engine . and both countries has same type of threat , so both should work together .

[ralfabco]

My guess is that Israel, should buy stripped SU-35's and equip them with indigenous avionics.

As long as Uncle Sugar pays the defense bills, Israel will not be allowed to defend it's own citizens from attack and terror.



As far as the U.S. not wanting Israeli avionics in the F-35 ? ...that is simple, the U.S. wants to put Elbit and Elta out of business.

[haamimhagolan]

There has also been a lot of talk about just how much the F-35 is going to cost - even before the Israelis explore the cost of adding their own electronics.

The initial lot of two low-rate production F-35A's are expected to cost $200 million each.


The second lot of six aircraft are expected to cost $160 million each.


It will not be until full scale production in 2014 that the cost of each airplane will drop to $70-75 million for an F-35A (at least $80 million for an F-35B).

Part of the question therefore becomes: whether the Israelis are willing to pay the extra cost to get aircraft delivered before 2014.
http://aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/F35-022709.xml&headline=EW%20Not%20Only%20Roadblock%20To%20Israel i%20JSF%20Plans&channel=defense

[Brian Venham]

I wouldn't count on any help from the obama admin.The bastids.

[KSUJew]

That is so stupid. Israel made so many improvements to the F-15 and F-16. Leave it to the administration to shoot themselves in the foot.:mad:

[haamimhagolan]

The latest news reports indicate that the Heyl haAvir is standing firm on their demand that any F-35's produced for Israel must incorporate Israeli electronic warfare systems.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/03/06/323364/israel-stands-firm-on-demand-for-domestic-jsf-content.html

Israel fell into the trap of depending on American EW back during the War of Attrition, and during the Yom Kippur War. Depending on the US to always provide the latest gear for export was a fatal error. They will not make that mistake again.

[Paparock]

Israel: Talks ongoing for Israeli F-35 systems

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1237392661587&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull


Citing budgetary constraints, a Pentagon official has ruled out the prospect of installing Israeli-made electronic warfare suites in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but the Ministry of Defense struck a more optimistic tone, telling The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that talks on installing further Israeli systems were still on.

According to a Reuters report released earlier in the day, US-built models of the jet would incorporate Israeli-made data links, radios and other command and control equipment, but would exclude an Israeli-made electronic warfare suite due to the high cost of integrating the system into the plane.

Israeli systems "have already been installed in the F-35," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. "We are holding further discussions to install further systems," the statement added.

Reuters cited Jon Schreiber, of the Pentagon's F-35 program office, as saying that the installation of further Israeli systems "is not going to happen," and that the US "system will meet their requirements with some tweaking, and I think they're starting to come around to that realization themselves."

"They have pretty tight budget constraints, and we're attempting to fit their requirements into their budget," Schreiber was quoted as saying.
The F-35 is slated to begin replacing the F-16 fighter jet in the US and elsewhere over the next five years.

With its reported firepower, stealth and cutting edge technologies, the jet is described by its maker, Lockheed-Martin, as the most "lethal, supportable and survivable aircraft ever to be used by so many war fighters across the globe." Talks continue between Israel and the US over the purchase of 25 jets at $150 million each, and Pentagon approval for the deal has been received, although an official order has not yet been made.

Israel routinely asks its defense companies, such as Elbit, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries to install technological variations into imports of American fighter jets.

"As soon as we purchase the aircraft, we replace some of the systems on the spot, and some later on," Maj-Gen. (Ret.) Herzl Bodinger, former head of the Israel Air Force, told the Post.

Some of the systems Israel habitually installs include radio communications and Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) systems, Bodinger said. In some cases, Israel replaces the missile system too.

"If the air force wishes to install an Israeli-made missile on the plane, other systems need changing," he added. "You can't just attach a new missile on the plane, you have to change things so that the plane's computer can communicate with the new missile. It's like buying a new computer program," Bodinger added.

While the changes usually made by Israel were not sweeping, they did increase the cost of the jet, Bodinger said.

The Israeli changes have "never been a source of any tension with the Americans," Bodinger said. "Most of the time the Americans make the changes for us. We put a few things in, but the whole plane was made by them. The Americans make excellent jets. I only have good things to say," he added.

[haamimhagolan]

I continue to be alarmed and disappointed by this saga. I've seen repeated coverage reporting that Pentagon officials are convinced that the Israelis will eventually have no choice but to buy the same export version of the F-35 that they offer to all non-NATO members. And I've seen repeated coverage reporting that Israeli officials continue to negotiate, and hold out hope that the bureaucrats in Washington will eventually become more reasonable.

During the War of Attrition, and again during the Yom Kippur War, the Israelis lost airplanes and pilots because the electronic countermeasures packages then being provided by the US were simply not up to the task. To this day, there are a number of key electronic warfare technologies (such as digital radio frequency memory, or DRFM) that the US will not export - to Israel, NATO, or anyone. The Israelis have had to develop their own technology for themselves.

If the Israelis did not have their own electronic warfare industry today, there is no way that they could have carried out the pinpoint raid that eliminated Syria's nuclear weapons ambitions in September 2007. I hope and pray that the Israeli leadership does not forget the lessons of past wars. To retain an edge over her opponents, Israel must be able to provide for her own, essential, "force multiplier" technologies that no one can be counted on to export on Israel's behalf.

[haamimhagolan]

In the latest round of this story, Lockheed Martin is now offering a co-production agreement whereby Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) would produce some of the fuselage components for F-35's delivered to Israel:
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/06/02/327228/lockheed-makes-f-35-assembly-offer-to-israel.html

Israel similarly produced airframe components for the F-16I's delivered over the past decade. The Lockheed offer, however, still does not go to the heart of the current US-Israeli impasse, regarding whether the US will allow the Israelis to incorporate their own electronics and countermeasures into Israeli F-35's.

[haamimhagolan]

There is an article in this week's edition of Jane's Defence Weekly (sorry, no on-line link), that suggests that the Israeli government has finally bridged the gap with the Pentagon and has won approval to install Israeli electronics and weaponry into the F-35.

I'll keep my eyes open for an internet article on the subject. Hopefully the news is accurate and the Washington bureaucrats have outgrown their egocentric worldview. The Israelis have a lot of experience to bring that could improve the quality of the F-35 for all parties involved.

[haamimhagolan]

This week's edition of Jane's Defence Weekly provides some additional details on the negotiations for installing Israeli systems and weaponry on the F-35.


It's reported that Lockheed Martin is offering to help offset the cost of the airplanes, by arranging for the co-production of the F-35 wing structure (minus low observable features) in Israel. Wing shipsets would still need to be shipped to the US for the addition of RAM coatings and other features, before being shipped to Fort Worth for aircraft assembly.


The Pentagon has reportedly relented, and has accepted the idea that the Israelis should be allowed to install their own communications systems and munitions on Israeli F-35's.


Pentagon officials have reportedly not agreed, however, to allowing the Israelis to install their own electronic warfare suite on Israeli F-35's, or to modify the electronic warfare suite provided by the US.

This is particularly problematic for Israel's air force. The Israelis are widely acknowledged to be world class masters of electronic warfare. Forcing the Israelis to accept a US suite not only would undercut the future of Israel's electronic warfare industry, but would prevent the Israelis from customizing their aircraft to respond to evolving threats. This would keep the Israelis wholely dependent on the good will of the US to provide upgrades in a timely manner - something that US politicians at any given time may or may not be willing to do.


The unit cost for Israel's first batch of 25 F-35's (coming early in the production cycle, and with the integration of Israeli communications gear and weaponry) is projected to be $128 million per aircraft.

[haamimhagolan]

The Jerusalem Post has finally picked up this story, although they don't convey quite the same details as Jane's does:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184913129&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Israel, US bridge gaps over fighter jet
By YAAKOV KATZ
Jun 24, 2009

A deal is close to completion for the purchase of the F-35 stealth fighter jet after the Defense Ministry and the Pentagon recently reached understandings on a number of IAF demands to integrate Israeli technology into the plane.

The apparent breakthrough was made following a series of visits to Washington recently by OC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan and IAF Equipment and Procurement head Brig.-Gen. Kobi Bortman. Last week, Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with top officials from Lockheed Martin - the F-35 manufacturer - on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show.

Also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F-35 will be one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world and will enable Israel to phase out some of its older F-15 and F-16 models.

According to senior IDF officers, the Defense Ministry and Pentagon have reached understandings on most of the major issues at the core of disagreement between the parties.

"There is understanding today on the main basic issues," explained one top officer.

As first reported in The Jerusalem Post, the IAF demands focused on three issues - the integration of Israeli electronic warfare systems into the plane, the integration of Israeli communication systems, and the ability to independently maintain the plane in the event of a technical or structural problem.

According to top officials involved in the deal, the Americans have given their consent and will grant Israel independent maintenance capabilities.

One of the US's main concerns regarding the installation of Israeli systems was that it would require configurations to the jet's internal computer system and expose top-secret technology to Israel.

In the recent round of talks, however, the Israeli side presented the Americans with a proposal of how to bypass the computer mainframe when installing the systems. The sides have yet to agree on a final price.

Israel has argued that due to operational requirements, it needs to have the ability to repair damaged or broken computer systems in "real time" and cannot wait for a computer system to be sent to Europe for repairs in the middle of a war.

Negotiations on the integration of Israeli technology began several years ago after Israel paid $20 million to receive the low-level status of a Security Cooperation Participant in the JSF program. Nine countries - including the US, Britain, Turkey and Australia - are full members of the JSF program.

If the sides reach a complete understanding, as expected, the IAF plans to issue an official letter of request for the plane in the coming weeks. The letter will be followed by the signing of a contract in 2010.

The first stage of the deal will be the purchase of 25 aircraft, which will comprise the first Israeli F-35 squadron. According to Lockheed Martin, if the letter of request is issued this year, delivery of the planes will begin in 2014.
We'll have to see which one got all the details right. According to Jane's, the US has acceded to most of Israel's demands, except for Israel's insistence that an Israeli ECM system be installed on Israeli fighters.

[haamimhagolan]

The Israeli government has issued an updated Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purchase of 25 F-35A fighters.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/07/13/329568/new-request-moves-israel-closer-to-jsf-order.html

As the article suggests, this is a good indication that the two sides are moving closer to agreement on the major issues. Still no clear indication on whether Washington will allow the Israeli air force to integrate an Israeli ECM system into the airplane - a key go-no go subject for the Israeli armed forces.

[haamimhagolan]

Israel has signaled that it may lower its initial purchase lot of 25 F-35 fighters to only 20 aircraft - if the unit price of the new airplane cannot be brought down to within the vicinity of $100 million each.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251804588718&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The initial Pentagon cost proposals for the first batch of Israeli airplanes was reportedly in the vicinity of $200 million each - nearly three times the amount quoted per USAF copy.
http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/09/11/Israels-bid-for-F-35s-stalls/UPI-20111252691596/

Gaps between Israel's requirements - in the areas electronic warfare, communications gear, and the ability to independently maintain the aircraft in a wartime scenario - and what the US government has been willing to concede, also remain large. As a result, it is looking less and less likely that a purchase agreement will be reached by early 2010, as had been originally envisioned. This also means that production deliveries would likely slip from the 2014 delivery date once hoped for.

At issue is the ability for Israel to install Israeli-developed weapons, communications and electronic warfare gear that would provide Israeli armed forces with a technological edge over their potential opponents. This has been a core element of Israeli fighter procurement strategy since the Yom Kippur War - when the US-supplied electronic countermeasures of the day proved to be woefully inadequate for dealing with the Soviet-produced surface-to-air missile batteries supplied to the Arab armies. Israeli-developed and produced countermeasures have allowed the Israeli air force to fine tune their electronic countermeasures - both to counter the US and European-produced radars and missile batteries that have been supplied to the Arab air forces, and allowing them to make adjustments to their electronic warfare strategy on the flightline, between each mission.

Although no one has yet said so, the prices that the Pentagon is demanding and their inability to accept Israeli requirements for an independent electronic warfighting capability may eventually push the Israeli government to jettison the entire US electronics package that currently equips the F-35. Israeli industry already has the ability to develop and produce the radar, targeting systems, and every other major piece of electronics aboard that airplane. At $200 million a copy, it might be cheaper to have the US ship the Israelis an airframe, engine and flight control computer - and produce everything else in Israel. Yes, developing an integrated avionics package in Israel would be time consuming and costly. So are the proposals that the Pentagon is coming up with.

[GEN Aaron]

The latest news reports indicate that the Heyl haAvir is standing firm on their demand that any F-35's produced for Israel must incorporate Israeli electronic warfare systems.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/03/06/323364/israel-stands-firm-on-demand-for-domestic-jsf-content.html

Israel fell into the trap of depending on American EW back during the War of Attrition, and during the Yom Kippur War. Depending on the US to always provide the latest gear for export was a fatal error. They will not make that mistake again.

Yes, Iftach Spector mentioned this in his book when his close friend, Sam Khetz, was championing the american's Electronic Warfare systems that would finally defeat the SAMs. But in the end, the EW systems did not do their job and many Phantom crews were lost.

[Belkin]

What is the USA going to do if Israel put there own stuff in there F 35 anyway? Israel can also do it in secret. To make matter worst no in world would anyway known about if Israel did.

[haamimhagolan]

Yes, Iftach Spector mentioned this in his book when his close friend, Sam Khetz, was championing the american's Electronic Warfare systems that would finally defeat the SAMs. But in the end, the EW systems did not do their job and many Phantom crews were lost.

What Spector omitted was that one of the Israeli Phantom pilots who would be shot down - and killed - by those SAM batteries was Shmuel Hetz himself. The following is from the testimony of Hetz's navigator, Menachem Eini during that fateful mission on July 18, 1970:
Hetz was the most outstanding individual of our age-group in the Air Force, head and shoulders above everyone else. He radiated a special kind of intensity; he was smart and always charming. He was an obvious choice as the first Phantom squadron leader, though it was the first time they had picked someone from the younger generation and not a veteran and more experience pilot. . . .

We were to fly in pairs at 18,000 ft, in a straight flight path and with a minimum of banking so as not to upset the pod as it interfered with the guidance systems of the missiles being sent up against us. Our pilot instincts rebelled against this flight profile. We felt we would be sitting ducks, flying straight and level at 18,000 feet above the missile nests. But the pod was portrayed as being so efficient - a magic potion against the SA-2 and SA-3 - that we had no choice but to follow the directions and fly accordingly. This turned out to be a fatal error. The EW pod had no capability against the SA-3 missile, and its effectiveness against the SA-2 was very limited. But they told us we had nothing to fear from either missile.

We flew at altitude. Because we were within range of Egyptian radars we didn't even bother maintaining radio silence. We crossed the Canal and flew towards our target, which was about fifty kilometers from Suez.

A few minutes before arriving over target, we received a warning that an SA-3 battery had locked on to us. After a few seconds the battery launched a missile. We saw it closing in but made no attempt to evade it. It was unbelievable how we sat there and didn't lift a finger to save ourselves, believing this stupid pod would do all the work.

The missile, of course, was not impressed by our wonder weapon, coming in underneath us and exploding like they do in the movies.

It felt as if someone had thrown a handful of gravel against the aircraft's skin. There was no sign of fire, no smoke or anything else. Our external communications were the only thing affected; they were completely cut off; we could speak only to each other over the intercom. We immediately released our bombs and banked eastwards towards home. We were already descending and building up speed to avoid any further missile hits. The Phantom, light and descending, reached 600 knots.

We started thinking about friendly fire; we couldn't inform our forces that we were making an unscheduled recrossing of the Canal because the radio was out. We discussed this and decided that, in light of the situation, we'd just have to be careful. We kept talking to each other, perhaps to overcome our anxiety; we exchanged observations, what was happening around us, what we saw, all clear behind us, someone chasing us, no one chasing us. I asked Hetz whether any of his instrument panel warning lights had gone on. He answered that apart from the flight safety warning light - a completely marginal warning aparatus - everything looked normal.

Then, the moment when everything happens at once: just fifteen seconds away from the Canal I noticed the aircraft was slowly rolling left and downward. We were flying at 600 knots and an altitude of just 100 feet. Though I was a navigator, not a pilot, I realized there was no more 'down'. Conclusion: the aircraft was going completely out of control. Without thinking I pulled my ejection handle and flew from the cockpit.

To this day I don't know whether I ejected myself or whether Hetz ejected me a split second before. I'll never know. Even Hetz's death will remain a mystery; we'll never know what happened in that fateful split second. Why didn't he get out? Maybe his canopy was open: with the Phantom, an open canopy prevents ejection. Maybe he was killed getting out. Could be. Hetz took the secret of his death and buried it along with the mashed and smoking Phantom in the sands of Africa. And us, we mull it over to this day without let-up. Why didn't he jump?

When I left the aircraft, we were flying at 600 knots, a tremendous speed, and from the shock of hitting the air I lost consciousness. I remember, as if through a fog, the parachute opening and, afterwards, me crawling wounded on the ground, my left leg with a compound fracture, lying lifeless and askew. My right arm was broken in three places, and I couldn't move this either. There were fractures in other places and I was bleeding heavily from a deep gash in the groin. . . .

I was released from captivity in November 1973, after the Yom Kippur War. I had sat in an Egyptian prison for forty months, including a year in a military hospital at Ma'adi, and not a day went by without my thinking about the aircraft going down and Hetz's death.[1]


References:
[1] Merav Halperin and Aharon Lapidot, G-Suit: Combat Reports from Israel's Air War (London, UK, Sphere Books Ltd, 1990), pp. 73-77

[GEN Aaron]

What Spector omitted was that one of the Israeli Phantom pilots who would be shot down - and killed - by those SAM batteries was Shmuel Hetz himself. The following is from the testimony of Hetz's navigator, Menachem Eini during that fateful mission on July 18, 1970: Hetz was the most outstanding individual of our age-group in the Air Force, head and shoulders above everyone else. He radiated a special kind of intensity; he was smart and always charming. He was an obvious choice as the first Phantom squadron leader, though it was the first time they had picked someone from the younger generation and not a veteran and more experience pilot. . . .

We were to fly in pairs at 18,000 ft, in a straight flight path and with a minimum of banking so as not to upset the pod as it interfered with the guidance systems of the missiles being sent up against us. Our pilot instincts rebelled against this flight profile. We felt we would be sitting ducks, flying straight and level at 18,000 feet above the missile nests. But the pod was portrayed as being so efficient - a magic potion against the SA-2 and SA-3 - that we had no choice but to follow the directions and fly accordingly. This turned out to be a fatal error. The EW pod had no capability against the SA-3 missile, and its effectiveness against the SA-2 was very limited. But they told us we had nothing to fear from either missile.

We flew at altitude. Because we were within range of Egyptian radars we didn't even bother maintaining radio silence. We crossed the Canal and flew towards our target, which was about fifty kilometers from Suez.

A few minutes before arriving over target, we received a warning that an SA-3 battery had locked on to us. After a few seconds the battery launched a missile. We saw it closing in but made no attempt to evade it. It was unbelievable how we sat there and didn't lift a finger to save ourselves, believing this stupid pod would do all the work.

The missile, of course, was not impressed by our wonder weapon, coming in underneath us and exploding like they do in the movies.

It felt as if someone had thrown a handful of gravel against the aircraft's skin. There was no sign of fire, no smoke or anything else. Our external communications were the only thing affected; they were completely cut off; we could speak only to each other over the intercom. We immediately released our bombs and banked eastwards towards home. We were already descending and building up speed to avoid any further missile hits. The Phantom, light and descending, reached 600 knots.

We started thinking about friendly fire; we couldn't inform our forces that we were making an unscheduled recrossing of the Canal because the radio was out. We discussed this and decided that, in light of the situation, we'd just have to be careful. We kept talking to each other, perhaps to overcome our anxiety; we exchanged observations, what was happening around us, what we saw, all clear behind us, someone chasing us, no one chasing us. I asked Hetz whether any of his instrument panel warning lights had gone on. He answered that apart from the flight safety warning light - a completely marginal warning aparatus - everything looked normal.

Then, the moment when everything happens at once: just fifteen seconds away from the Canal I noticed the aircraft was slowly rolling left and downward. We were flying at 600 knots and an altitude of just 100 feet. Though I was a navigator, not a pilot, I realized there was no more 'down'. Conclusion: the aircraft was going completely out of control. Without thinking I pulled my ejection handle and flew from the cockpit.

To this day I don't know whether I ejected myself or whether Hetz ejected me a split second before. I'll never know. Even Hetz's death will remain a mystery; we'll never know what happened in that fateful split second. Why didn't he get out? Maybe his canopy was open: with the Phantom, an open canopy prevents ejection. Maybe he was killed getting out. Could be. Hetz took the secret of his death and buried it along with the mashed and smoking Phantom in the sands of Africa. And us, we mull it over to this day without let-up. Why didn't he jump?

When I left the aircraft, we were flying at 600 knots, a tremendous speed, and from the shock of hitting the air I lost consciousness. I remember, as if through a fog, the parachute opening and, afterwards, me crawling wounded on the ground, my left leg with a compound fracture, lying lifeless and askew. My right arm was broken in three places, and I couldn't move this either. There were fractures in other places and I was bleeding heavily from a deep gash in the groin. . . .

I was released from captivity in November 1973, after the Yom Kippur War. I had sat in an Egyptian prison for forty months, including a year in a military hospital at Ma'adi, and not a day went by without my thinking about the aircraft going down and Hetz's death.[1]
References:
[1] Merav Halperin and Aharon Lapidot, G-Suit: Combat Reports from Israel's Air War (London, UK, Sphere Books Ltd, 1990), pp. 73-77

Wow haamimhagolan, that was good stuff. I'm trying to find this book but it's very expensive online.

Sorry, I'm not too sure about the names, but I'm pretty certain that Samuel Khetz = Shmuel Hetz?

If yes, Spector did mention it in his book that Khetz was killed, although he didn't go into any details.

He mentioned that on the day Khetz was to fly his fateful mussion, he was behaving very weirdly. Khetz supposedly had this very close friend that was killed in an earlier war. The two were inseparable. Then during the days before the mission, Khetz mentioned to Spector that he was visited in his dreams by this deceased friend.

This and other things caused Spector to tell his wife (I think), that Khetz was going to die that day. And sure enough he did.

[ralfabco]

What is the USA going to do if Israel put there own stuff in there F 35 anyway? Israel can also do it in secret. To make matter worst no in world would anyway known about if Israel did.


You are going to have U.S. civilian tech reps and military attaches look at the aircraft from time to time. You cannot buy the aircraft and simply throw away the key.

If you do not like that, the alternative is China and or Russia. Israel should look at buying stripped new SU-35's and Mig-29's. At least with those aircraft, they do not give daily three-hour time outs to enemy units and completely stop flying on the edge of victory.