Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens, visiting the Paris Air Show on Thursday, explored the possibility of joint ventures in civilian aviation with the Soviet minister of aircraft production.
He was also subjected to a hard sell at the Soviet pavilion, where he was told that Israel could solve all of its air defense problems by buying the new MIG-31 jet fighter.
Arens seemed most impressed by his conversation with a Mr. Systov — the man in charge of in Soviet aircraft industry.
” This is the first time in history that an Israeli defense minister has met with a Soviet minister of aircraft production,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
” I suppose you might call this a break-through,” Arens said.
But he cautioned not to “interpret this as bringing about any radical change in Israeli-Soviet relationships.”
Those changes will be “determined in other areas and by other issues,” he said, alluding to the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Israel that Moscow broke in 1967.
Nevertheless, Arens admitted that relations between Israel and the Soviet Union have improved notably during the last two years.
” Attempts have been made by the commercial relations with us, and in the area of aeronautics they’ve examined the possibility of some cooperative projects, ” said Arens, who is an aeronautical engineer by training.
He and Systov discussed an improved version of the ASTRA executive jet, a long-range private civilian aircraft manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries.
” We’re seriously looking into it,” Arens said, although there is nothing definite yet about a joint project with the Russians.
The possibility discussed, said Arens, was having the body of the ASTRA built in the USSR, and the rest of the plane assembled in Israel.
A member of the Soviet delegation said the improved ASTRA would have a 3,968-mile range, making it highly competitive in the transatlantic corporate jet market.
The current version has a range of 3,224 miles.
Systov’s deputy, Vladimir Ivanov, said that “once the relations between both our countries will be restored in the near future, we will be able to provide Israel with all kinds of equipment, including air defense.”
Valery Pinitzky, the Soviet military industry’s chief test pilot, collared Arens to extol the virtues of the MIG-31, which he claimed was “the best fighter you can buy.”
According to Pinitzky, Israel would need only three of them to command the air.
Arens told JTA later that, for the time being, the bulk of combat aircraft Israeli imports is from the United and that he sees no reason to change.
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