Regardless of the severe strains between them, Israel and the United States are advancing their military cooperation.
The arrival here Thursday of the first of 60 F-15 jet fighters from U.S. Air Force units in Europe was hailed by the Defense Ministry as a sign that the “real strategic alliance” is on a firm footing.
The planes will be overhauled, updated and repaired by Israel Aircraft Industries over the next four years, at a cost of $1 million apiece. The government-owned IAI won the contract from the Pentagon, in competition with American and European firms.
The Defense Ministry also announced Thursday that the Israel Test Bed, designed to evaluate combat theater ballistic missile defense concepts, was successfully completed and formally accepted by the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization and the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command.
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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.