Under the Impact of defense needs and with the help of Jewish scientist brought in from abroad, Israel’s armaments industry is proving capable of turning out modern weapons systems that are superior to their foreign counterparts and better adapted to local conditions. If not always cheaper to make. This picture of Israel’s armaments industry was drawn for Knesset members yesterday by Prof. Aryeh Dvoretzky, chief science officer of the Israeli Defense Ministry Prof. Dvoretzky said the defense research establishment has succeeded in bringing many Jewish scientists to the country and engaging them in defense research. He said that outstanding men between the ages of 30-40 are being sought and no expense should be spared in the effort. Prof. Dvoretzky claimed that Israel has developed new weapons systems in a much shorter time than the 7-10 years it usually takes abroad to develop a new tank or missile. He said Israel has been able to rehabilitate old tanks and equip them with modern instruments and that on several occasions it has manufactured for itself certain advanced weapons that it had been barred from purchasing abroad. Prof. Dvoretzky said however that Israel was not entirely self-sufficient in weaponry and still lacked the broad industrial infrastructure that would permit it to mass produce locally made prototype weapons.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.