JERUSALEM — Israel has
decided to purchase Lockheed Martin’s CH-53K helicopter over the Boeing-made
CH-47, the Defense Ministry announced Feb. 25.
The move is seen as
essential for Israel, as its older CH-53 Sea Stallion “Yasur” helicopters have been in use since the 1960s.
Defense Minister Benny
Gantz said the decision to purchase new heavy-lift helicopters for the Air
Force is a significant step in further building up the Israel Defense Force’s
capabilities. “It is also essential to the IDF’s ability to carry out a wide
range of operational activities. The new helicopter is adapted to the [Air
Force’s] operational requirements and to the challenges of the changing
battlefield,” he added.
In a statement, his
ministry said: “The decision was made following a professional assessment that
included test flights in all the proposed aircraft, as well as a thorough
examination of the various alternatives in terms of engineering, technology,
maintenance and other considerations. All details, including the number of
helicopters requested, will be brought to the approval of the Ministerial
Committee for Procurement as soon as possible.”
Israel has lost several of
its CH-53s to crashes. Two crashed in 1997 during a midair collision, and a
November 2019 crash was blamed on a defect reportedly identified by Lockheed
subsidiary Sikorsky but allegedly not relayed to the IDF. Grounded in 2019 due
to the technical concerns, the aircraft were cleared to fly again in January
2020. In separate events, other helicopters made emergency landings in January
and April that year. And Israel once procured five U.S. Navy CH-53s through the
U.S. Defense Department for spare parts.
The Yasur fleet received
upgrades over the years with an electronic warfare suite, according to The Drive. Israel also trained with
the fleet for aerial refueling with the C-130 Karnaf planes used by the
country. Israel’s 118th and 114th squadrons operate the CH-53, as does is
search and rescue Unit 669. Israel has 23 of the helicopters and is thought to
be purchasing between 20 and 25, according to previous reports.
In 2017, when Israel was
weighing the purchase of a heavy-lift helicopter, the cost of the CH-53K was
given as $87 million, compared to $38 million
for the Chinook. In 2018, reports indicated Israel was leaning
toward the Chinook. A final decision was expected when a new government formed
in the spring of 2020.
Israel has not said when
the CH-53K helos will be delivered or the current cost of the procurement.
Recently, a CH-53 has cost up to $131 million.
Now Israel faces fresh
elections, and Gantz has been in touch with his U.S. counterparts since last
year about a series of purchases worth billions of
dollars for KC-46 tankers and potentially more F-35 fighter jets to add to the 50
F-35s Israel has already ordered.
After budget disputes,
Gantz accepted the recommendations presented by IDF Chief of the General Staff
Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi and Defense Ministry Director General Amir Eshel to
select the Lockheed helicopter, ministry said.
Eshel had previously
warned about the desperate need for heavy-lift helicopters in the past, telling
reporters last year that “flying 50-year-old helicopters with 50 people onboard
during wartime and 30 people on board in peacetime — that’s not safe.”
The ministry
said the new helicopters are part of its multiyear Momentum plan announced in 2020
that will see the creation of multidomain units and a new 7th Wing in the Air
Force, which may benefit from the new helicopters.
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