A Congressional committee has found “extremely accurate” Israel’s estimates of the costs of the Lavi, its second generation jet combat plane, Israel Radio reported from Washington Wednesday.
The Israeli figures differ sharply from estimates by the Pentagon which found that the production costs — to be borne mainly by the U.S. — were excessive. A prototype of the new aircraft has been built by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) incorporating many components, including the engine, built in the U.S.
The dispute over costs has held up the project. Israeli officials said the Americans based their higher figures on salaries and other expenses prevailing in the U.S. which greatly exceed production and wage levels in Israel.
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.
