Soviet 203-mm. artillery pieces now in Egypt may be powerful enough to force Israel to withdraw her lines further back from the Suez Canal. Washington Post correspondent George C. Wilson reported yesterday. The 203s, which have not yet been deployed along the canal but can be placed within hours, would thus greatly aid Egypt’s attempts to establish an east side beachhead and the Soviet Union’s attempts to reopen the canal for her navy, the correspondent said. Concurrently, jet engines manufactured by the General Electric Company are earmarked for use in Israeli planes under an agreement-in-principle among the Israeli government, the State Department and GE, Post reporter Michael Getler wrote yesterday. The engine, a rough prototype of which has already been test-flown in Israel, is a modification of the J-79 that the United States has been sending Israel for use in Phantom F-4Es. Israel is reportedly urging GE to improve the J-79 further, even though it is among the most powerful and accurate jets in the world, the Post reported. Israel is said to want GE to use lightweight boron for some parts to increase the jet’s speed and range. Despite its first-class aviation industry, it was said, Israel is unable to mass-produce J-79s on her own.
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.
