Premier Yitzhak Shamir’s visit to Washington later this month has imposed a deadline on senior defense establishment officials to come up with recommendations about the future of the Lavi, Israel’s second generation jet combat aircraft.
The officials are studying several American alternatives to the Lavi proposed by U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Dov Zackheim when he was here last month. The Reagan Administration expects a firm decision from Shamir when he meets President Reagan at the White House.
A team of experts from the McDonnell Douglas company, a leading American manufacturer of military aircraft, was here last weekend to promote alternatives to the Lavi. They reportedly presented the Israelis with a choice between the F-16, F-18 and the Harrier, all advanced flying machines.
These are under study and a report will be submitted to Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin within the next few days, to serve as a basis for the case Shamir will present in Washington.
The U.S. has been pressuring Israel for a year to abandon the American-financed Lavi on grounds that it is too expensive to produce. Israelis have disputed the Pentagon’s cost projections. Menahem Eini, head of the Lavi project, has estimated that each Lavi fighter will cost some $18 million, plus 51 percent for spare parts. An F-16 would also cost about $18 million but spare parts would be between 65-80 percent above the base price, Eini said.
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