After deciding several months ago to forego procuring the V-22 Osprey aircraft from US manufacturer Boeing due to budgetary restrictions, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi on Sunday said they intend to re-examine the matter.
The Boeing V-22 hybrid transport plane and helicopter, with both vertical takeoff and landing and short takeoff and landing capabilities, was seen as part of Israel's future capacity to move special forces troops to countries as distant as Iran.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Gantz, who during his tenure as IDF chief saw the US and Israel reached an Osprey procurement deal, is an adamant supporter of purchasing the advanced aircraft.
In a meeting two weeks ago, Israel Hayom has learned, Gantz and Kochavi agreed to revisit the decision to scrap the Osprey deal. If Gantz's position is indeed adopted, the Osprey would be part of a broader initiative to replace the IDF's aging fleet of Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, which were first incorporated in the 1960s and 1970s.
Despite the air force's efforts over the decades to preserve the quality of its CH-53 fleet, in 2019 the State Comptroller said in a report that keeping the aircraft operational beyond 2025 would put lives at risk.
That contest to replace the aging CH-53s is between the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and the Boeing CH-47F Chinook. To force the competitors to lower their prices, the IDF hasn't declared its preference yet. However, Israel Hayom has learned that the defense establishment prefers the CH-53K due to its better performance.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
