Can Israel afford to own and operate a US style Air Force One? iHLS cites sources in Netanyahu’s inner circle who are saying Israel can’t afford not to, and insist the moment of that decision “is approaching speedily.”
There is no doubt that heads of state like to fly around the world in their own, special mission aircraft, but very few countries can afford such a luxury. In recent years, Israel has been looking for the kind of plane that would replace the ones it leases from a commercial airline to fly the Prime Minister around the world, but so far, the searches have not ended with a contract. Budget constraints and public criticism, real and feared, blocked those efforts.
Now Israel may have found a solution — a multi-purpose, versatile Aircraft, able to whisk the prime minister around in style, and then, should the need arise, provide operational services, such as mid-air refueling and troop transports in war time.
One proposal starts with the Boeing 767-300ER, which would be reconfigured by the IAI to serve as a multi-purpose transport. The refueling and transport configuration of the aircraft will come with an advanced digital cockpit (the Glass cockpit that features a digital flight instrument displays and large LCD screens, rather than the traditional analog dials and gauges), and brand new engines.
According to iHLS, the revamped aircraft will be able to both perform aerial refueling and transport 200 troops and 60 tons of cargo. Also, Israeli Defense Ministry sources have said that the price of such a Boeing 767 refueling and transport configuration would be 15 to 20 percent lower than any alternative. A steal.
The same sources don’t mention how much the State of Israel is paying annually to rent planes for the PM, and how many years it would take for the new investment to pay off… Will making the PM’s personal plane double as a war machine be a reasonable solution? What would happen should the PM’s craft come back from battle all banged up and Bibi has to fly someplace in a hurry?
Israeli technicians, renowned for their improvisational skills, are probably looking forward to such challenges—but the Defense Ministry accounting department probably not as much.