Israel’s hopes to continue research on the Arrow anti-tactical ballistic missile received two boosts last week, when the full Senate along with the House Armed Services Committee approved $42 million to fund the program.
But the United States and Israel still need to negotiate a memorandum of understanding that lays out technology sharing, cost sharing and security arrangements. The Arrow was conceived to protect Israel’s largest cities against incoming Soviet-made SS-21 or Scud missiles from Iraq or Syria.
The memorandum must be signed before the second research phase begins next spring, which will include testing of several Arrow components, including the rocket propulsion and intercept systems.
Approval of the Arrow funds came despite deep cuts in the overall “Star Wars” program, from the $4.7 billion that President Bush requested, to $3.7 billion in the Senate and $2.9 billion in the House Armed Services Committee.
The Arrow funding was included in amendments to the 1991 Defense Authorization Bill introduced by Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and John Warner (R-Va.).
The Warner amendment allows the United States to spend as much as $50 million on the program during the 1991 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. Further action on the Defense Authorization Bill will not occur until after Congress returns after Labor Day.
A WORTHWHILE SHIELD
Although Soviet glasnost and U.S. budget constraints have eliminated U.S. aspirations for a shield such as the Arrow, the Bush administration, backed by U.S. Jewish groups, finds it worthwhile to explore a shield that could protect a smaller country like Israel.
However, Israelis outside the large cities would not be shielded by the Arrow. A pro-Israel lobbyist explained that if a missile hit Israel’s rural areas. “You are more likely to kill sheep than people.”
The United States has previously spent $158 million on the program, with Israel spending nearly $40 million under an 80 percent to 20 percent split in the cost-sharing formula.
The latest $42 million is part of a $198 million second-phase program. Any decision to build the Arrow would not be made until 1994 or 1995, and would cost roughly $600 million, said a pro-Israel lobbyist.
The lobbyist said Israel would bear all of that cost, to be expended over a 10-year period.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens, after meeting here last month with Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, announced U.S. support for the second phase. Arens also asked Cheney to consider buying the Lavi fighter plane and to scrap U.S. plans to buy another plane capable of protecting ground troops, the Washington weekly Defense News revealed.
An Israeli defense analyst here, however, dismissed the possibility of a U.S. purchase of the Lavi, which Israel ceased developing in 1987 after high costs consumed $1.5 billion in U.S. military aid.
Dov Zakheim, former deputy undersecretary of defense for planning and resources, told Defense News that “injecting the Lavi now is as much a non-starter as it ever was. We told the Israelis very clearly there wasn’t the slightest bit of interest in the Lavi.”
Zakheim was the Pentagon official responsible for terminating the Lavi, a decision the Israeli government reluctantly accepted at the time.
A less-ambitious prospect is that Lavi technology could be sold to U.S. defense contractors.
In other news, Israeli Transport Minister Moshe Katsav arrived in the United States last Thursday for a week of meetings on shipping and civil aviation issues, including the concept of a joint Soviet, U.S. and Israeli passenger airplane.
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, during a meeting with members of Congress in June, said the Soviet Union could build the bodies, the United States the engines and Israel the avionics and cockpit instruments.
Accompanying Katsav were officials from E1 A1 Airlines and Israel Aircraft Industries.
This spring, E1 A1 purchased two 747s from the Boeing Co., and has the option to buy two additional 747s as well as two 757s. Besides visiting Boeing plants in Seattle, the minister and company officials will also be touring a Pratt and Whitney airplane plant.
Katsav will conclude his visit this Thursday by meeting Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner. Among the issues to be discussed are U.S. licensing of aircraft parts manufacturers in Israel.
In addition, Katsav may ask about any departmental interest in a new high-speed gunboat that was built this year by Israel Shipyards, called the Shaldag.
(JTA correspondent Hugh Orgel in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.)
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