Monday, November 23, 2015

(En - 23 Nov 2015 - News) Elbit Systems conducts Airbus missile protection trial


Amid growing concern that terrorists will attempt to shoot down a passenger jet, Israeli defense electronics developer Elbit Systems Ltd has successfully completed a trial of its protection system against shoulder launched missiles.

Elbit systems' MUSIC family of Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) systems, integrated with the advanced Passive Airborne Warning System (PAWS) IR based missile warning system, was successfully demonstrated on an Airbus C295 aircraft. The demonstration took place in October 2015, during flight test at the NAFAG ACG3 SG/2 EMBOW 15 Trials, at the Bundeswehr WTD91 test site in Meppen, Germany.

During the tests, conducted by a multi-national NATO team, a C295 aircraft with an operationally installed Elbit EW self-protection suite, consisting of the DIRCM system and the PAWS, successfully demonstrated the capability to detect, acquire, track and jam the trial test equipment on the ground, under extreme conditions. The initial assessment of the results highlighted that the system has the capability to successfully jam MANPADS (infra- red, ground to air heat seeking Man-Portable Missiles) from the first, second and third generation, using generic NATO jam codes.

The demonstration was a joint project of Elbit Systems and Airbus Defense & Space (Spain). It was widely supported by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the Spanish Air Force and NAFAG ACG3 SG/2 (NATO Air Forces Armaments Group, Air Capability Group 3, Sub Group 2), which is the NATO group responsible for the development and validation of air platform protection solutions.

Elbit Systems’ MUSIC family of DIRCM systems provides protection for aircraft from MANPADS. These systems integrate an advanced fiber laser technology together with a high rate thermal tracking camera and a small, highly dynamic mirror turret to provide effective, reliable and affordable protection to all types of aircraft and under all operational conditions.

The PAWS family of combat proven missile warning systems uses IR to reliably and rapidly detect the most advanced threats in all flight conditions. The PAWS family is in use and under contract with more than 10 customers worldwide, in a large variety of platforms, including jet fighters, and other fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.

The MUSIC family of DIRCM systems has been extensively and successfully tested by various countries and are in full scale production for numerous customers around the world, including Germany, Italy, Brazil Israel and others. They are operational on military, VIP and commercial helicopters and other fixed-wing aircraft.

Elbit Systems is currently under contract to supply more than 110 DIRCM systems to over ten customers, for installation on 20 different fixed and rotary-wing platform types.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

(En - 12 Nov 2015 - News) Report: Israel strikes targets near Damascus airport

 
Israeli fighter jets bombed targets near the international airport in Damascus, Syrian opposition sources and media outlets affiliated with President Bashar Assad's regime reported on Wednesday. It was the second report of an Israeli airstrike in Syria since the start of Russia's military intervention on behalf of Assad in September. None of the reports of an Israeli strike has been officially confirmed by either the Israeli or the Syrian governments.

According to the reports, explosions were heard in the pre-dawn hours on Wednesday in the vicinity of the airport, causing a power outage in the area and a temporary cessation of flights. The reports also included supposed photographs of the damage caused by the alleged Israeli airstrike.

Since the civil war began in Syria, foreign media outlets have attributed several airstrikes in the war-ravaged country to Israel. The previous report about such a strike came on Oct. 31, when it was said that Israel had hit several Hezbollah targets. Israeli officials never formally confirmed those attacks, while Israel has also made it clear it has no intention of involvement in the conflict as long as its red lines are not crossed.

In an interview with The Washington Post last June, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said, "Our policy is on the one hand not to intervene, on the other hand to keep our interests."

Ya'alon presented the three red lines Israel would take action to preserve.

"One is not to allow the delivery of advanced weapons to any terror organization, whether by Iran or by Syria. Second, not to allow delivery of chemical agents or weapons to any terror faction. The third is not to allow any violation of our sovereignty, especially in the Golan Heights. When it happens, we act," he said.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

(Fr - 05 Nov 2015 - Actu) Fin des vols Tel Aviv-Copenhague pour SAS, malgré une augmentation de 41 % de la fréquentation..


La compagnie aérienne scandinave SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) a décidé de mettre fin à ses vols entre Tel-Aviv et Copenhague en invoquant « l’instabilité politique » de la région.
Le transporteur effectue depuis juillet de 2012 quatre vols hebdomadaires entre Tel Aviv et Copenhague, et déclare via son communiqué de presse en hébreu qu’il souhaite se recentrer sur des services long-courrier à court terme, mais qu’à l’horizon 2016, il pourrait reprendre ses vols vers Israël.

Via le communiqué en hébreu, la société a indiqué que, bien que les vols Tel Aviv-Copenhague ont connu une augmentation de près de 41 % au cours de l’année 2014, il fallait quand même suspendre tous les vols en horaire d’été en raison d’un certain nombre de raisons techniques. SAS a également expliqué que le coût de la ligne Tel-Aviv- Copenhague était trop élevé et que la concurrence était trop rude.
Lien

(En - 05 Nov 2015 - News) Israel reportedly seeking to acquire stealth version of F-15


Foreign media reports: As part of "compensation package" of military aid U.S. is set to offer Israel in wake of Iran nuclear deal, Israel wants to receive F-15SE Silent Eagle • Israeli officials decline to confirm reports.

Within the framework of talks over the "compensation package" of military aid the U.S. is set to offer Israel in the wake of the Iran nuclear deal, Israel has, according to foreign reports, asked to receive the stealth version of the F-15 fighter plane, the F-15SE Silent Eagle.

This request by Israel was reported by a number of foreign media outlets, including Flightglobal.com. Israeli officials declined to confirm the reports.

The F-15SE was meant to be Boeing's answer to Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter plane, but Boeing has as yet not found a buyer for it.

(En - 05 Nov 2015 - News) Bad weather forces Dubai flight to land in Israel


Royal Jordanian flight from Dubai to Amman diverts to Ben-Gurion International Airport Wednesday after running low on fuel • Incident is unusual, as United Arab Emirates does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Dust and strong winds at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, forced an incoming Royal Jordanian Airlines flight from Dubai to divert to Ben-Gurion International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

The plane, an Airbus 320, was carrying 66 passengers and crew members.

Running low on fuel after weather conditions prevented the plane from landing in Amman, the flight crew requested permission to land in Tel Aviv. Permission was granted and the plane landed on Runway 21 at Ben-Gurion International Airport around 3:15 p.m.

Friday, October 30, 2015

(En - 30 Oct 2015 - News) Israeli jets scrambled after helium balloon spotted in Golan Heights


Israeli Air Force jets scrambled to the Golan Heights Friday morning after what turned out to be a helium balloon was spotted flying from the direction of neighboring Syria.

Ground forces and jets were dispatched after spotters observed a suspicious object making its way into Israeli air space Friday morning.

The air force is on high alert after last week’s incident when an Israeli-Arab man paraglided into Syria, allegedly of his own initiative, to join a rebels group.

On Saturday night, large military forces were mobilized to the Golan Heights border after one of the military’s lookout positions along the border with Syria spotted a paraglider crossing from Israel and landing in Syrian territory in an area controlled by a rebel group affiliated with al-Qaeda.

The man, a 23-year-old from Jaljulia, crossed the border in order to join a terror group based in Syria, the Israel Defense Forces said.

According to the Hebrew-language news website Ynet, the man landed in the south of the Syrian Golan Heights near the Jordanian border. The area is controlled by jihadist group Shuada al Yarmouq, made up of al-Qaeda defectors.

The group has in the past pledged allegiance to Islamic State, and has been fighting the al-Nusra Front, a local affiliate of al-Qaeda that is today the dominant rebel group in the Golan.
Link

(En - 30 Oct 2015 - News) Israel hosts its largest-ever international air force exercise


Air forces from around the world have gathered deep in the Arava desert in the south of Israel for the past week and a half to take part in the largest aerial exercise in the history of the Israeli Air Force.

The “Blue Flag” exercise, which is continuing through November 3, pits the Israeli Air Force, the United States Air Force, Greece’s Hellenic Air Force and the Polish Air Force against a fictional enemy state, the captain in charge of all IAF exercises told The Times of Israel Thursday night.

A number of other countries, including Germany, also sent pilots and officers to observe the exercise, but did not take part.

This joint drill is the second “Blue Flag” exercise; the first took place in 2013 and was the largest multi-lateral exercise the IAF had ever hosted.

The various air forces collaborated closely through every step of the current exercise, the IAF captain said, from planning to execution and finally to debriefing

Though the exercise began on October 18, planning for it started nearly eight months ago, the Israeli official said, with an IAF representative contacting each participating country and initially asking, “What do you want to train for?”

Those requests came together to form the plan for “Blue Flag,” which sent Israeli and American F-15 squadrons, along with Israeli, Hellenic and Polish F-16 squadrons, flying through nearly all of Israel’s air space, firing simulated weapons against fictional enemy missile launchers, convoys and aircraft, he said.
Though the drill was intensive and demanding, it was designed more to test the mettle of the men and women behind the controls than to test the technical capabilities of the fighter jets themselves.

“We wanted it to be challenging for the airmen, rather than for the machines,” said the IAF captain, who cannot be named for security reasons.

In order to “put the airmen through their paces,” he explained, the people running the exercise tried to surprise them, putting them in situations where “the pilot doesn’t know where their target is coming from.”

“Blue Flag” ends next Thursday.











Wednesday, October 28, 2015

(En - 28 Oct 2015 - News) Airport shocked to find unclaimed package with dead body inside

 
Customs workers at Ben-Gurion Airport were astounded to open an unclaimed package there on Tuesday and find a woman's corpse inside.

Foreign Minister spokesman Alon Lavi said that the package arrived Tuesday morning on an Aeroflot flight from Russia. There was no accompanying paperwork with the body identifying the deceased, or the person who sent the “package,”  or any of the necessary permits needed for burial.

Lavi said that after hours of efforts with the assistance of Zaka, including the head of that organization in Russia, Shaya Deutsch, the identity of the corpse was discovered: a woman who died 11 days ago. The Foreign Ministry is now arranging the necessary paperwork to enable burial.

Moti Bukjin, the Zaka spokesman in Israel, told Mako that the family of the deceased “innocently decided to send her for burial in Israel. Since they did not know the procedure, they thought they would just send her like they would a package.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

(En - 27 Oct 2015 - News) IAF strikes Gaza after rocket hits southern Israel


Israeli Air Force warplanes struck targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday night, the army said, in response to rocket fire on the south hours earlier. The two sites hit in the strikes belong to the Islamist Hamas organization, which controls the Strip.

IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner held Hamas responsible for the rocket fire, and warned that there would be “consequences” if it failed to rein in those carrying out the attacks on Israel.
“The intolerable reality of civilians continually living under the threat of Gaza rockets is unacceptable, unbearable and must stop. Hamas must enforce their responsibilities or face the consequences. We will act against those that attack us and hold those that enable attacks against Israel accountable,” Lerner said.
 
According to the IDF, the strike on Israel earlier Monday evening was the 18th rocket launched from Gaza to hit Israeli territory since January 2015.
 
The rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel, as air-raid sirens sounded across the communities adjacent to the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory.
 
The IDF said the rocket, which landed in an open area in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, caused no injuries or damage.
 
Local residents reported hearing an explosion outside one of the Israeli communities adjacent to the border fence.

Friday, October 23, 2015

(En - 23 Oct 2015 - News) IAI Extends Panther’s Endurance, Positioning the VTUAV to Address South Korean Surveillance Needs


Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is unveiling a new variant of its Panther Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) UAV, equipped with a hybrid propulsion system integrating electric and internal combustion engines. The drone, displayed by the Korean Hankuk Carbon company, is designated ‘Front Engine Panther’ (FE-Panther) and is the latest development of IAI’s Panther family.

“Cooperation with Hankuk Carbon is a real opportunity to develop new capabilities and to pursue new business opportunities,” Ofer Haruvi, CTO of IAI’s Military Aircraft Group said. “This cooperation will be beneficial to the Republic of South Korea’s military and civilian authorities.”

IAI and Hankuk Carbon are marketing the FE-Panther to South Korean governmental entities under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two companies, pursuing the feasibility study of the concept of a VTOL UAS for South Korean requirements.

According to Moon-Soo Cho, CEO of Hankuk Carbon, the new drone will be tailor-made to meet local requirements, which demand independence from runways in Korea’s mountainous region.

The new variant weighs 67 kg. – only two kilograms more than the existing three-motor Panther. Hankuk Carbon provides the fuselage assembly, made of lightweight composite materials, and some sub-systems.

The hybrid propulsion system enables users to employ two different power sources – the tilting electrical motors are optimal for vertical takeoff/landing and hovering, while the internal-combustion engine is employed for cruising.

The new propulsion system extends the mission endurance of the Panther by 33%, maintaining the same payload capacity (6 kg.) as the all-electric version.

“To develop and manufacture this VTOL UAV for Korean civil and military uses, and to meet the different needs of potential customers, both companies are also working on the joint development of another hybrid propulsion system,” Moon-Soo Cho added. “This strategic partnership will become a major manifestation of the Korean government’s policy of creative economy.”

(En - 23 Oct 2015 - News) Israel reportedly breached Iranian air defenses while preparing potential strike


Israel successfully probed Iran's air defenses in 2012 as it took advanced preparatory steps toward a strike against its nuclear facilities, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday night.

American officials discovered Israel's late-stage planning by spying on its national security council, on its air force and on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the article contends. Israel reportedly put its pilots on alert on moonless nights, and considered a raid that would have involved its commandos sabotaging Iran's nuclear facilities from within.

Mistrust over the nuclear issue first took root when, in 2011, the Obama administration began secret preliminary negotiations with the Iranians in the Omani capital of Muscat.

While the White House failed to inform the Israelis for months, Jerusalem knew of the talks from the get-go: Israeli intelligence had successfully identified and tracked the tail numbers of unmarked American planes carrying US officials to the secret negotiations, according to the report.

Allegations that Israel spied on the talks first appeared in the spring, after a cyber security firm publicly identified a pattern of breaches in its firmware at a select group of luxury European hotels. All of them had hosted the nuclear talks.

The talks ultimately resulted in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a deal that is intended to cap, restrict, monitor and partially roll back Iran's nuclear program for a finite period. Israel opposes and says it is not bound by the agreement.

Monday, October 19, 2015

(En - 19 Oct 2015 - News) Russia blocks Israeli jets over Lebanon


Russian forces warned Israel over IAF flights in Russian controlled airspace near the Syrian–Lebanese border area after Israeli jets were detected nearby, according to a report Friday in the Lebanese media outlet As Safir.

The report comes a mere day after Russia announced that it had established a "hotline" with Israel in order to coordinate aerial activity over Lebanon and Syria.

As Safir quoted Lebanese diplomatic officials who were "in the know," as saying that the warning was issued after Russian radar identified Israeli aircraft approaching Russian-controlled airspace two weeks ago.

"Russian A/C immediately blocked the Israeli jets' path while they flew above the Akkar region in northern Lebanon. The Russians immediately sent a clear warning to the Israelis that entering Syrian airspace would be a pretext for opening fire," the source said.

According to the paper, which is considered loyal to Hezbollah, the Israeli aircraft quickly heeded the warnings and changed their course. The incident occurred mere days after talks were held between Israeli and Russian officials regarding the shared airspace. The report claimed that the Russian message instructed the Israelis to stay away from Syrian airspace.

Lebanese officials quoted in the report said that Israeli aircraft typically fly over northern Lebanon on a daily basis, "and tended to fly on a path above the Akkar region, later conducting reconnaissance in a circular pattern above the Lebanese territorial waters, eventually reaching the Syrian territorial waters."

The report quoted an official as saying that, "Their goal was to observe the movement of ships in the port of Tartus, as well as tracking the air traffic coming in an out of Latika airport – out of concern over possible weapons transfers to Hezbollah."

The same official claimed that the Lebanese army had noticed a decline in Israeli over flights since the warning was issued on the first of October, but clarified that flights in the area remained ongoing.

Friday, October 16, 2015

(Fr - 16 Oct 2015 - Actu) Roll Out d'un premier C-130 modernisé


L'industriel israélien Elbit a annoncé la sortie d'usine du premier avion de transport modernisé C-130 Hercules (Dénomé « Karnaf » en Israël) destiné à l'armée de l'Air israélienne.

La modernisation a compris l'intégration d'un nouveau radar et d'une avionique « tout écran ». Des systèmes qui devraient améliorer les capacités de vol à faible altitude et de nuit de l'appareil. La voilure du C-130 a aussi été remplacée.

Ce programme de modernisation, réalisé en collaboration avec Israel Aerospace Industries, devrait permettre aux C-130 israéliens de voler jusqu'en 2040. Israël opère une douzaine de C-130E/H. L'Etat hébreu a également commandé des C-130J.

Sur son site, Elbit Sytems présente sa solution pour la modernisation des C-130. Celle-ci comprend un pilote automatique numérique, huit écrans multifonctions en couleur, un système de navigation GPS/Inertiel, une vision tête haute, un système de cartographie numérique et une « sacoche de vol électronique » (EFB).

Le groupe israélien propose également, en option, l'intégration d'un système de mission comprenant un système d'autoprotection, des moyens de communication par satellite, d'une système de suivi de terrain, un système permettant le largage à basse altitude, un système d'observation multi spectral ou encore une liaison de données.

Il n'est pas précisé lesquels de ces systèmes ont effectivement été intégrés à bord des C-130 israéliens.

Friday, September 11, 2015

(En - 11 Sept 2015 - News) US, Israel near coproduction deal on David's Sling missile shield

 
The United States and Israel are weeks away from reaching a draft agreement on a coproduction of Israel's David's Sling air defense system, which has been jointly developed by the two countries, the top U.S. missile defense officer told lawmakers on Thursday.

U.S. Navy Vice Admiral James Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said discussions and negotiations were continuing with Israel on the David's Sling system, which passed a series of intercept tests in April and is expected to be operational next year.

Known in Hebrew as Magic Wand, David's Sling is being developed and manufactured jointly by Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd and Raytheon Co., a top U.S. arms maker.
 
Robert Scher, assistant defense secretary for strategy, plans and capabilities, said the U.S. government had provided more than $3 billion for missile defense to Israel for David's Sling and other missile defense programs since 2001.

Syring said a draft agreement on coproduction of David's Sling should be reached with weeks, with a final agreement likely in several months, but gave no further details.

After that agreement is finalized, U.S. and Israeli officials will discuss coproduction of Israel's Arrow ballistic missile defense system, Syring told the strategic forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

Designed to shoot down rockets with ranges of 100 to 200 kilometers (63 to 125 miles), aircraft or low-flying cruise missiles, David's Sling will fill the operational gap between Israel's Iron Dome short-range rocket interceptor and the Arrow ballistic missile interceptor, both already in service.

(En - 11 Sept 2015 - History) When the IAF showed the Soviets who was top gun

 
The first, and so far last, dogfight between Israeli and Russian air forces took place 45 years ago, on July 30, 1970, as the War of Attrition between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organization was winding down.

The aerial battle took place southwest of the Suez Canal, over an area the Israeli Air Force had dubbed "Texas" as it was a local "Wild West," a lawless area where the quicker the gunslinger, the bigger the reward.
 
The Israeli force comprised four Phantom and 12 Mirage fighter jets, flown by pilots who together were credited with shooting down 59 enemy aircraft. The Soviet force included 24 MiG-21 jets, at the time the most advanced of their kind.
 
The airborne battle was meticulously planned. A trap was set and the Soviets flew right into it, to humiliating results: Five Soviet jets were shot down, and although one Israeli Mirage sustained some damage, all Israeli jets landed safely back in their home base. Operation Rimon 20, as it would later be known, became one of the most successful operations in IAF history.

The operation was prompted by the growing Soviet involvement in Egypt, following then-Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's demand that Moscow supply him with advanced missiles and fighter jets, so to counter the IAF's Phantoms and Skyhawks, which consistently targeted Egyptian forces along the Suez Canal, dropping hundreds of tons of bombs on them and on targets deeper inside Egypt, seemingly undisturbed.
 

At the time, Israeli jets were also in the habit of flying over Cairo simply to make its skies crack with the sound of sonic booms, as if to show Nasser who was really in charge.

In two tense meetings in Moscow, the first in the fall of 1969 and the second in January 1970, the Egyptian president threatened that unless his Soviet ally gave him what he needed, he would turn to its nemesis, the United States.
 

The Soviets complied and Nasser's military received SA-3 surface-to-air missiles, which were far more effective than the SA-2 missiles the Egyptian army had at the time, and three MiG-21MF squadrons, complete with munitions, auxiliary equipment, and ground and air crews. Overall, about 100 Soviet pilots were stationed in Egypt.

The presence of Russian pilots among the ranks of the Egyptian Air Force was a closely guarded secret, discovered by the IDF's newly minted Russian-language wiretap and surveillance unit, which worked closely with Unit 515, its Arabic-language counterpart. The unit picked up a conversation in Russian between two allegedly Egyptian MiG pilots on a routine patrol flight, and the secret was out.

From a tactical standpoint, there was tacit consent between Israel and Egypt that the IAF does not breach Egyptian airspace beyond 30 kilometers (18 miles) over the Suez Canal, an area considered the Soviets' "grazing land." However, the Soviets soon began trying to down Israeli fighter jets.
 

The proverbial last straw took place on July 25, 1970, when two Soviet pilots attempted to down an IAF Skyhawk and hit its tail. Israel decided to retaliate, despite the risk entailed in poking the Russian bear.

"The decision to take on the Russians was made by the government," Col. (ret.) Aviem Sella, who flew one of the Phantom jets that participated in the operation, recalled. "The order was unequivocal: Don't just strive to engage the Russians -- take them down. I think it was one of the only times the government made a conscious decision to fight a global power."

The trap at the heart of Operation Rimon 20 was carefully scripted: Four Mirage aircraft were to fly into the Gulf of Suez, supposedly on a routine reconnaissance flight. Should the Soviets take the bait and try to intercept them, then more Israeli fighter jets, either hovering nearby or on the ground at the Refidim Airbase, would scramble to intercept the MiGs.

And so it was: Exactly 11 minutes into the Mirages' flight, five Soviet MiGs -- "all shiny and new, as if they just came off the assembly line," Sella recalled -- scrambled to engage. To their surprise, they were met with a formidable IAF formation.

It was the largest dogfight held on the Egyptian front at the time. Within moments, the late Col. Asher Snir, flying one of the Mirages, shot down a Soviet MiG. The pilot ejected at 30,000 feet, and floated slowly toward the ground, effectively remaining airborne during the entire fight, which prompted the Israeli pilots to use his location as a makeshift coordinate in their radio communications.

"We were saying things like '10 kilometers from the parachute,'" Sella said.

The Soviet pilots, who were significantly less experienced than the Israeli pilots they were fighting, soon became flustered and found themselves at a great disadvantage.

Former IAF Commander Maj. Gen. (ret.) Avihu Ben-Nun, whose jet led the squadron of Phantoms that participated in the fight, recalled that "it was obvious they had little experience. It was a little frustrating, because you're used to knowing what's expected from the enemy when it fights you, and all of a sudden they do something different."

According to Sella, the Soviet pilots "just fired missiles everywhere. You could tell they weren't thinking or trying to target anything."

When the dust settled, five Soviet MiGs had been downed. The credit went to Snir, Sella, Ben-Nun, Avraham Shalmon, and Iftach Spector.

Years later, during the Israel-Egypt peace negotiations in the late 1970s, then-Vice President Hosni Mubarak told then-Defense Minister Ezer Weizman that when Egyptian Air Force officials heard about the dogfight they rejoiced over the Soviets' defeat. The Soviet pilots had apparently been very dismissive of their Egyptian peers, and the Egyptian pilots were happy to witness their downfall.

The Soviets, for their part, dispatched Chief Marshal of Aviation Pavel Kutakhov to Egypt the day after the dogfight. In true Soviet fashion, he warned his pilots that should any of them ever breathe a word of the events to another living soul, they would find themselves in a Siberian gulag.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

(Fr - 30 Aout 2015 - Actu) El Al va commander 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliner

 
El Al Israel Airlines s’apprête à signer le plus important contrat de son histoire : la compagnie israélienne a indiqué mercredi dans une note d’information financière qu’elle était en négociation avancée avec Boeing et plusieurs sociétés de leasing pour commander quinze 787 Dreamliner destinés au renouvellement de sa flotte.
 
Le contrat qui reste à finaliser comprend des 787-8 et 787-9. La répartition de ces quinze appareils n’est pas détaillée mais ils sont assortis d’options d’achat pour treize exemplaires supplémentaires.
Le montant de la transaction est estimé entre 800 et 900 millions de dollars, sur la base d’une acquisition de la moitié des appareils, l’autre moitié étant louée.
 
Les appareils sont livrables entre le premier semestre 2017 et 2020, et serviront à remplacer les Boeing 747-400 et 767-300ER vieillissants.
 
Dans un communiqué qui a suivi cette annonce d’El Al, Boeing s’est dit « honoré » de la décision de la compagnie aérienne de choisir le 787 pour son plan de renouvellement de la flotte. « Le Dreamliner sera un excellent ajout à la flotte tout-Boeing d’El Al et marque une nouvelle étape du partenariat entre nos deux sociétés qui dure depuis plus d’un demi-siècle » , a déclaré Ray Conner, le président de Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
 
Les nouveaux appareils opèreront sur le réseau moyen et long-courrier, notamment vers New York, Boston, Toronto, Bangkok, Pékin et l’Afrique du Sud.
 
El Al a transporté 2,2 millions de passagers l’année dernière et enregistré pour l’exercice 2014 un déficit net de 28 millions de dollars (contre un bénéfice de 26,7 millions de dollars l’année précédente). Ses pertes se sont cependant réduites au 1er trimestre, grâce à une progression du nombre de passagers et des effets positifs du taux du dollar et du prix du carburant.
 
El Al dessert 35 destinations dans le monde avec une flotte de 40 appareils passagers (dont 27 en propriété) : 17 Boeing 737-700/800, 5 737-900ER, 6 747-400, 6 767-300ER et 6 777-300ER.
Elle exploite aussi 6 747-400 cargo.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

(Fr - 22 Fev 2015 - Actu) Airbus annonce que Arkia va acheter quatre Airbus long-courriers.

Excellente nouvelle pour les relations entre la France et Israël . Le volume des échanges entre les deux pays va augmenter de manière très significative dans les prochaines années. Arkia va acheter des Airbus. Arkia est une compagnie aérienne régulière pour ses vols en Israël et charter pour ses vols dans le monde, Arkia s’est largement diffusée en Europe grâce à ses prix attractifs.

Aujourd’hui, Arkia est la 2e compagnie israélienne après El Al dont elle détient par ailleurs 40 % des parts. La plate-forme de correspondance d’Arkia est l’aéroport de Sdé Dov et l’aéroport Ben Gourion. Arkia possède aussi des parts de la compagnie charter française Axis Airways.
Selon (1) : "Le constructeur aéronautique Airbus Group a annoncé mercredi que la compagnie aérienne israélienne Arkia avait signé une lettre d’intention pour lui acheter jusqu’à quatre Airbus long-courriers A330-900neo.

Au prix catalogue, ce protocole d’accord représente dans sa totalité plus d’un milliard de dollars et ferait d’Arkia « le premier client de ce modèle en Israël », selon un communiqué d’Airbus. Le prix au catalogue de l’Airbus A330-900neo s’élève à 284,6 millions de dollars.

« Les A330-900neo seront un atout pour nous aider à nous développer sur les lignes long-courriers très concurrentielles au départ et à destination d’Israël », a déclaré le patron d’Arkia, Nir Dagan, cité dans le communiqué. L’A330-900neo, nouvelle version du long-courrier vedette A330 qui intégrera un moteur Rolls-Royce, affichera une consommation de carburant inférieure de 14 % par siège par rapport à la génération en service et des coûts de maintenance « les plus bas possibles », souligne l’avionneur européen.

Les A330-900neo rejoindront les quatre A321neo commandés par Arkia à l’occasion du salon aéronautique de Farnborough (Royaume-Uni) en 2012, souligne Airbus.
Lien

(En - 22 Feb 2015 - News)Israel snaps up 14 F-35 stealth fighters

Israel has signed a deal to purchase 14 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the US, with the option of another 17, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.
In an agreement inked over the weekend, Israel will obtain the aircraft as part of a total $2.82-billion package that began with the purchase of 19 of the fighters in 2010.
The F-35, manufactured by US firm Lockheed-Martin, is considered the most expensive weapons system ever developed. With a price tag of some $110 million apiece — and development costs of over $400 billion — it has yet to enter front-line service even in the US, after a string of development problems delayed its deployment.
 
Considered a 5th-generation fighter, the F-35 has stealth technology giving it a very low radar signature as well as advance avionics and flight capabilities.
Included in the deal is the cost of integrating Israeli-manufactured electronics and weapons systems to work with the plane as well as logistics, support equipment and training programs.
The first planes are expected to arrive in Israel in December 2016.
 
Approval for the deal was given by the cabinet last December. However, the move has faced stiff opposition from Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, who has claimed that the money could be put to better use and has questioned the reliability of the F-35 weapons program, which has been bogged down by manufacturing glitches and other setbacks.
 
Among the arguments against the deal is that a multitude of enemy rockets, which could target Israel’s airfields, means the country shouldn’t rely too heavily on its combat aircraft.