Ezer Weizmann, commander of the Israel Air Force, said today that Israel must acquire additional aircraft to match the MIG-19 which the Soviet Union is supplying to the United Arab Republic.
Addressing a group of United Jewish Appeal leaders from Canada, the Air Force Commander said that, while Israel’s Mystere jets were proven in the Sinai campaign to be a match for the UAR’s MIG-15 and while the Supermystere Wautours were in the same class as the MIG-17, Israel had no plane to match the MIG-19, quantities of which have been pouring into the UAR from the Soviet Union. He said the time had come to think of acquiring purely fighter aircraft to supplement Israel’s dual-purpose planes.
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