Israel Aircraft - Congressman August Pfluger: "As a former fighter pilot, I can personally attest to the extensive training that is required for pilots—especially when it comes to complex aircraft like the KC-46. Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East, and Israeli pilots shouldn't have to wait until 2025 to begin their training.
I'm proud to join Senator Cotton in introducing bipartisan, bicameral legislation that ensures Israel can use these planes to deter Iran and other aggressors as soon as possible." Converting a passenger jet to a cargo plane is no easy task.
Israel Aircraft
It includes changing the structure, which involves installing a new cargo door, replacing and strengthening the aircraft floor, installing reinforcements near the cargo opening, and modifying electrical systems to enable safe and convenient operation. In addition, the 777-300ERSF process will include receiving certification for the converted aircraft by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), among others.
Brisk Business
Senator Tom Cotton: "America needs to provide our Israeli allies with the military capabilities they need to protect themselves from an increasingly dangerous Iran. Training these pilots now will send a message to Tehran and will ensure that Israel is able to use these planes the day they receive them."
Last December, IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman was quoted by the Times of Israel as having told a Saudi news outlet that Iranian proxies operating in Iraq or Yemen were capable of attacking targets in Israel and he pointed to the threat posed by Iranian-supplied unmanned aerial vehicles
and "smart missiles," in particular. Then there are the repeated Israeli attacks launched against Iranian-backed militia targets in Syria, where Iran has been seeking to establish an increasingly robust permanent military presence, from where it can, in turn, support militant groups in the region, including providing advanced weapons
to Hezbollah in Lebanon. "The 'Oron' is yet another manifestation of the IAF's increasing effectiveness", said Maj. Gen. Norkin. "The aircraft adds another layer to the IAF's current operational and strategic capabilities, which allow for continued air superiority in the Middle East and an ability to defend Israel's skies and ensure its security".
According To The Israeli Air Force The New G “Oron” Combines The Capabilities Of Several Different Isr Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Aircraft In A Single Platform
Aside from being a critical node in any potential IAF airstrike against targets in the so-called second and third tiers, and operations closer to home, the Oron's new maritime intelligence-gathering capability is also highly significant. As Israel's maritime security interests expand beyond the eastern Mediterranean to include activities in the waters around Yemen, for example, a platform of this kind is of particular importance, while Israel has also been suspected of being behind a series of clandestine attacks on Iranian vessels.
Vendor Contact Form: Contact Us - http://www.mission-ny.mod.gov.il/VENDORS/Pages/contactUsVedorRegistration.aspx In addition to FMF-purchases, the MOD publishes local tenders that present limited sales opportunities for U.S. companies. The U.S. Commercial Service has access to the list of local tenders and can make information available to interested U.S.
suppliers. Bidding on local tenders requires opening a local bank account and appointing a local representative. The 122nd is the IAF's ISR squadron and operates two "Nachshon" aircraft models: "Shavit" (Gulfstream G500) and "Eitam" (Gulfstream G550).
The "Oron" received today appears to be a new variant of the G550. "The aircraft combines several capabilities including aerial imaging, control and radar, and maritime intelligence gathering for the Navy", explains Maj. I, Deputy Commander of the 122nd Squadron.
The Big Twin
"The majority of these capabilities already exist in our squadron and the 'Maof Rahav' unit, however, with the new aircraft, we managed to condense them all onto a single flight platform". It also doesn't come cheap.
GECAS or IAI did not release the 777-300ERSF conversion cost, but IBA estimates the conversion cost of a 2005 built Boeing 777-300ER to be around $32.5 million. When also considering acquiring a feedstock aircraft and other associated costs, IBA estimates the total outlay for an aircraft of this age to be around $54.5 million.
Demand for cargo jets has increased strongly since the Covid-19 pandemic, due to a sharp rise in e-commerce and the fall in belly hold capacity available for cargo stemming from the ongoing reduction in passenger flights.
When the Egyptian Air Force started attacking Tel Aviv on May 15, 1948, the day after Israel announced independence, the Jewish state felt the need to respond to the Egyptian air raids. In spite of […]
While some European countries have declined to purchase Israeli weapons systems in the past, citing political reasons, Europe is now the largest regional destination for Israeli weapons systems sales following the Russian invasion to Ukraine, accounting for 41% of Israeli defense exports, surpassing Asian and
Pacific countries, including India (34%). The U.S. only accounts for 12% of Israeli defense export sales, following Arab countries (7%), Africa (3%), and Latin America (3%). U.S. exporters are strongly advised to appoint a local representative to introduce their products and services to the Israeli military and aerospace & defense industries.
The local representative can also provide business development services and after-sales support. For additional information about FMF tenders, please contact the MOD procurement office in New York City, at http://www.mission-ny.mod.gov.il The country's defense industry is dominated by three companies: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (both parastatals), publicly owned, and Elbit Systems.
The companies offer a diverse portfolio of products and services, including space and airborne reconnaissance systems, radar systems, UAVs, avionics and electro-optical systems, munitions, tanks and armored personnel carriers. They produce structural components and parts and operate maintenance, repair and upgrade facilities.
In addition, there are several hundred small and medium-sized enterprises active in the sector. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) IAI and the engineering division of Etihad Aviation Group are teaming up to establish a new facility that will convert Boeing 777-300ER passenger planes into freighters, a partnership and investment which the companies hope will allow them to win a share of the burgeoning market for dedicated freighter
aircraft. The new 777-300ER passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion site will be based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and is part of IAI's strategy to further develop its already comprehensive network of conversion sites around the world to meet the expected rise in
demand for freighter aircraft. In recent months, the state-owned Israeli aerospace and defense group inked agreements for new narrow-body and wide-body aircraft P2F conversion lines in South-Korea (for 777-300ER and Boeing 777-200LRs), in Naples, Italy (for
Boeing 737-700/800s) and in Addis Abba, Ethiopia (for Boeing 767-300s). Outwardly, the Oron appears similar to the Eitam, with prominent "cheek" radomes grafted onto the sides of its fuselage. In the Eitam, these contain antennas for the Elta EL/M-2085 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, with others in the nose and tail helping to provide 360-degree coverage.
These radars are likely to be retained on the Oron but have almost certainly been upgraded — the Eitam first entered service back in 2006. The mission avionic suite aboard the new platform is being developed for the Israeli Ministry of Defense by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which described it as "the world's most advanced intel (ISR) mission aircraft."
However, the mission systems have not yet been integrated, a process that will take up to two years to complete, after which the aircraft will be declared operational. Already, nine years have been spent on designing and developing the aircraft and its subsystems.
GECAS has already committed 18 777-300ERs (including the prototype aircraft) from its portfolio to the Big Twin program and it holds an additional 12 options. Kalitta Air is the launch airline and in June signed up for two more operating leases for the new long-haul freighter, growing its 777-300ERST contract with GECAS to five examples.
The Michigan-based provider of scheduled and on-demand charter service in the U.S. and around the world currently operates a fleet of more than three dozen cargo planes, including 747-400F, 767-300SF and 777F. The Oron's advanced sensors — including radar — are intended to survey large swaths of land, air, and sea, and the aircraft itself will bring together three discrete missions: aerial imaging, airborne early warning and control, and maritime intelligence-gathering.
"Air cargo is doing brisk business as the global economy continues its recovery from the Covid-19 crisis," asserted IATA's Director General, Willie Walsh. Air cargo, he said, "is a revenue lifeline for many airlines as they struggle with border closures that continue to devastate the international passenger business.
Importantly, the strong first-half performance looks set to continue.” Hence airlines' interest to add full-freighter jets to their fleets. "We have made a machine that knows how to create and expose targets in all weather, in very short periods of time — mere seconds — over plots of land of thousands of [square] kilometers and at ranges necessary for attacks," Rotem said.
On Sunday Apr. 4, 2021, the Israeli Air Force formally introduced the "Oron", a new G550 aircraft that has been extensively modified to "grant the IAF unprecedented intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities." The advanced platform has been assigned to the 122nd "Nachson" Squadron at Nevatim AB in central Israel, north of Dimona, where a ceremony was led by the Commander of the IAF, Maj.
Gen. Amikam Norkin, was held. The IAF has invested a lot in cutting edge ISR platforms to achieve the Information/Intelligence superiority required to face the multiple internal and external threats. These ISR platforms embed custom, domestic sensors, integrated by Israeli companies, and in some cases, the resulting aircraft have also been exported (as the G550 CAEW, also used by Italy and Singapore).
At that respect, it would be interesting to understand whether some of the "Oron" sensors will make their way to Italy's JAMMS (Joint Airborne Multi-sensor Multi-mission System) aircraft, the Italian platform designated to replace the single G-222VS (
Versione Speciale – Special Version) that was equipped for SIGINT missions in the 1980s. The aircraft leasing company anticipates that the GE-90 powered 777-300ER converted freighters will achieve up to 21% lower fuel-burn per metric ton than the larger, four-engine 747-400 freighters and offer 25% more cargo volume than the current
twin-engine 777-200 production freighter. "And all this with the range capability [of up to 7,370 nautical miles] to seamlessly replace aging 747-400 and MD11 freighters," it pointed out. The Oron could also provide a useful adjunct to the Israeli Navy's new Sa'ar 6 class corvettes, which you can read about in detail here.
Among these warships' key missions will be defending offshore gas platforms within Israel's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean. Having a long-endurance aerial surveillance presence to monitor this area would help protect a major strategic asset that provides the majority of Israel's energy requirements.
As well as identifying targets, including those on the move, the Oron would likely serve as a communications node linking together the various branches of the Israel Defense Forces and their assets — including unmanned assets — in any large-scale operation.
With the F-35I stealth fighter, known locally as the "Adir," now well established in IAF service, it seems likely that the Oron will also be expected to analyze and disseminate the huge amount of information gathered by this aircraft, too.
The numbers are telling. Worldwide belly capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers, was down 38.9% in June on June 2019 levels while capacity onboard dedicated freighters grew to 29.7% above pre-crisis 2019 levels, data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) show.
For the first six months of the year, industry-wide air cargo capacity remained constrained at 13.7% below pre-Covid-19 levels, but global demand rose by 8.4% compared to first half in 2019—its strongest first-half performance since 2017
Because demand outpaced capacity, both load factors and yields continued to improve. Air freight rates were 55.9% higher in 2020 overall compared to 2019, according to IATA. Revenues from transporting goods by air rose by 27.2% in 2020, to $128.2 billion, "this is a new all-time high," the global airline trade body noted.
The current U.S. military aid to Israel, covering FY2019 to FY2028 is $38 billion: $33 billion in FMF plus $5 billion in missile defense appropriations. Additional U.S. funding was allocated in 2016 for anti-tunnel capabilities that detect, map, and neutralize underground tunnels, and an additional one billion dollars was provided in 2022 to replenish Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense System.
Exactly how many examples of the Oron the IAF will acquire has not been revealed, nor whether it is intended to supplement or to eventually replace some of the service's existing three Shavit (signals intelligence) and two Eitam (airborne early warning and control) aircraft.
These are also flown by 122 Squadron and are based on Gulfstream 500/550 executive jet airframes. Almost 200 narrowbody and widebody aircraft have joined the worldwide freighter fleet between May 2020 and February 2021, according to data from aviation industry consultant IBA.
Some are factory-build freighters including 29 older Boeing 747-400F re-entering into service from storage or brand-new freighter jets such as the Boeing 777F and the Boeing 747-8F. Most though are converted models, including the Boeing 737 Classics, Boeing 757-200s and Airbus A321-200s in the narrowbody segment and the Boeing 767-300ER and the Airbus A330-300 in the mid-size widebody segment.
Israel's main defense exports are missiles, rockets, and air defense systems (20%), such as the sale of Rafael's Spyder system to the Czech Republic for $630 million; training and instruction services (15%), such as the deal between Elbit and the Hellenic Ministries of Defense to reconstruct its air force's flight academy for $1.5 billion over a decade-long period;
UAVs and drones (9%), electronic radar and warfare systems (9%), and manned aircraft and avionics systems (9%). Sales of cyber and intelligence systems only comprise 4% of Israel's overall defense exports. JINSA President and CEO Michael Makovsky, Ph.D.
said: "Speeding delivery of KC-46 aerial refueling tankers to Israel—and training Israeli pilots—is critical to enhancing Israel's ability to defend itself against the Iranian threat. Only such a credible military threat against Iran can deter its aggression and nuclear breakout, both of which advance U.S.
national security interests. JINSA applauds the MACH 1 Caucus for their leadership.” The cooperation comes a year after the UAE and Israel agreed to normalize relations under the U.S.-sponsored Abraham Accords. The treaty, explained Yossi Melamed, executive vice-president and general manager of the Aviation Group at IAI, enabled IAI to meet Etihad's managers "first-hand, to see their ability and dedication, in addition to witnessing the company's great capabilities in
the field of jet maintenance.” The agreement adds "a significant tier to the relations between Israel and the Gulf States. I have no doubt following this agreement, additional agreements with companies in the region will arrive, and they will economically benefit the sides involved," he stressed.
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