Israel signed a contract with the U.S. Wednesday to undertake research on anti-ballistic missile defense systems, a project related to the Reagan Administration’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), commonly known as Star Wars.
The contract, reported to be in the neighborhood of $5.1 million, is the first of its kind entered into by the U.S. with a non-NATO country. It was signed here by David Ivri, Director General of the Defense Ministry, and Gordon Smith, deputy director of the SDI Organization.
It is regarded as Israel’s first bid for a share in the $27 billion SDI research allocation, based on the U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation signed by the two countries last May.
Apart from participating in lucrative SDI contracts, Israel has a special interest in antiballistic missile research to counter the advanced Soviet SS-21 short range missiles reportedly in Syrian hands. The SS-21s are capable of reaching any part of Israel from Syrian territory.
Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Taft, touring Europe and the Middle East, began a three-day visit to Israel Wednesday. He met with Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin and senior officials of the Defense Ministry Thursday at Israel Defense Force headquarters.
Israel Radio reported Thursday that Taft will renew a contract with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) for the maintenance of 15 Israel-made Kfir jet fighter-bombers on lease to the U.S. Navy. The Israeli planes are used to simulate Soviet aircraft in combat exercises.
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.
