The Pentagon has put on the Saudis. Commercialization prevails in the arms trade
It is known that the American congressmen treat the Jewish state with more sympathy than the current American administration headed by President Barack Obama. Therefore, on Capitol Hill, they suspected the plans of their military department to supply Saudi Arabia (SA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the most modern weapons, which, however, Israel was not intended. Then the Pentagon made a pretty strong move by offering the Israelis a package of military supplies. However, this move turned out to be deceptive, because in this case the Arab arsenals were filled with weapons of a more modern class compared with the Jews.
Strong and deceitful move
It should be immediately noted that, in principle, the Americans do not carry out military deliveries on long-term loans. Buyers of overseas weapons or provide solid guarantees (bank, government) or transfer a certain amount for each tranche of weapons. The volume of US military aid to Israel in the coming years is associated with the purchase of fifth-generation fighter-bomber F-35. Payment for these planes has already been made. It is important to emphasize that most of the funds for these purchases are allocated from the budget of the Jewish state. In Jerusalem, they hoped that the White House would be ready to accept long-term Israeli commitments regarding the new deal to supply the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) with Bell V-22 Osprey converters, aircraft combining the capabilities of an airplane and a helicopter. But the Americans with the supply of these flying machines were in no hurry.
At tiltrotor turning screws on take-off and during landing work as lifting mechanisms, and when flying as pulling. The engines themselves are located in special gondolas at the ends of the wings. Thus, these aircraft, whose designs have been developed for three decades, are provided with a combination of qualities inherent in both the aircraft and the helicopter. (Interestingly, the word "osprey" in English means the name of a large predatory bird, the Osprey, which uses a powerful, almost horizontal flap of a wing when lifting from the surface).
Converted gliders have the ability to climb above helicopters (up to 7620 m), and their maximum speed is quite significant for this type of machine - 565 km / h. The maximum height is 7620 m. Without additional fuel, they fly 1627 km. This helicopter hybrid with a helicopter accommodates 24 seated soldiers or 32 in a standing position. Convertoplanes are particularly successfully used in the landing of small groups of military personnel and in search and rescue operations. So, they are considered indispensable when evacuating pilots who catapulted over enemy territory, landing troops or returning sabotage groups.
The cost of one convertoplan exceeds 100 million. For the Israeli military budget, this price is exorbitant. Without discounts and subsidies, the IDF can only dream of converting plans. Especially during the global financial crisis. Therefore, the Israeli military is forced to rely on cheaper CH-53 Stalion helicopters. These rotary-winged machines are referred to here as “Yasur” (“Petrel”) and are delivered to the Promised Country since 1969 of the year. Today they are completely reliable, but their refueling in the air from the converted Boeing-707 air tankers and the Hercules C-130 is a difficult and dangerous process, since the pilot of the aircraft is required to reduce almost to the very minimum and the helicopter pilot has to perform complex pirouettes.
ON THE PRINCIPLE OF THE "HORNING SINNER OF THE SUN
At the beginning of April of this year, the Israeli Ministry of Defense intended to conclude a deal with the Americans not only for the purchase of convertiplanes, but also for the KS-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft (stratospheric refueling tanker) in the amount of $ 3 billion. It should be noted that air refueling is the most important component of airstrike applied at a considerable distance from its own bases. This deal, almost like a fait accompli, was reported by the media. At the same time, the secrets and agreements of the United States administration with the SA and the UAE on the supply of various types of military aviation equipment worth $ 10 billion. American lawmakers realized too late that the Pentagon violated the declared parity in providing weapons to Jews and Arabs. A prominent American analyst, former chief editor of the Near East Report (“Middle East Bulletin”) Mitchell Bard, points out that “the Arabian security monarchies are heavily dependent on American support and US arms supplies.” At the same time, an American analyst notes the following fact: “... over the years they (the Arabian monarchies - ZG) have managed to develop such a method of communication with Washington that it would not be a mistake to talk about subordinating certain aspects of American foreign policy - such as energy, security, arms supplies to the interests of the Gulf states and, first of all, to the Saudi monarchy. ”
Therefore, there is little hope for American senators and congressmen in Jerusalem. Overseas legislators are not very closely watching the arms race in the Middle East, one of the most “boiling” regions of the world, if this race brings profits to the American military-industrial corporations. Otherwise, they would have noticed that two years ago, Riyadh had received a huge amount of 80 billion dollars worth of weapons from Washington. This deal guaranteed the Saudis to supply the latest modification of the FNXX fighter and the same type of Fighter 84, but not the newest models, and modernized. The Americans also agreed to equip the Saudis with air-to-air AIV-15X Sidewinder guided missiles with an infrared homing head. The name Sidewinder in translation from English means "horned rattlesnake". These missiles received such a name because of the principle of searching for a target from thermal radiation. According to Jeffrey Penfield, head of the air-to-air missile development program of the United States Navy, the Air Force of the Saudi Kingdom will receive tactical and training AIM-70X missiles for F-9 fighters. Neither sellers nor buyers reported the number of copies in the shipment. It is indicative that these missiles are in service with the United States, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, and now the SA. However, their deliveries to Israel were not even discussed.
Of course, Jerusalem could not remain indifferent to this kind of supply. Through diplomatic channels, Israel protested to the White House. In Washington, they pretended that the fears of the Israelis took note. However, they did not cancel the deal, but promised that the SA would not receive American missiles capable of accurately hitting ground targets at a distance of approximately 100 km. However, the Americans again did not keep their promise. Under the current deal, the Saudi Air Force will receive such missiles. Moreover, the first copies of the F-16 fighter-bomber began to be received in the UAE, which were not entered into the two-year-old treaty. It turned out that the pilots of the UAE Air Force have already been trained in the United States and can fly on aircraft of this type.
I did not turn the back and sideways
In order to somehow reassure the Israelis, United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel does not tire of claiming that the SA and the UAE receive weapons as part of the so-called warning to Tehran. Again, this is a tricky move. Indeed, in recent years, it is Jerusalem that, as its main adversary, is determined by Tehran, which openly threatens to destroy the Jewish state. Not a single Arab country with such unambiguous anti-Iranian statements today stands. At least openly. The current Shiite Tehran ayatollahs are more straightforward: they threaten in the direction of Riyadh, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, who have taken on the role of Sunni opposition to ultra-orthodox aggressive Shiism. Even the radical Palestinian Hamas, a Sunni organization that has been recognized as a terrorist by many countries of the world, got what is called a “handout” and now, having become a “client” of Qatar, has stopped receiving help from Iran. Within the Iranian sphere of influence, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite terrorist organization, a number of groupings remain in Iraq, Bahrain (there, under the ruling Sunni head of state, the majority of the population is Shiites) and in the CA itself (in the 15% Shiite kingdom). The most branched terrorist Wahhabi Al-Qaeda also occupies the Sunni side. Thus, there is no reason to talk about the unity of the Muslim world.
Howitzer PZH-2000. However, for the Jewish state, this fact does not matter. Not a single Arab state declared itself friendly towards Israel. Moreover, in Egypt and in Jordan, the Arab states that have signed a peace treaty with Israel, there are active forces demanding the denunciation of these treaties. Therefore, in Jerusalem they cannot exclude that in the event of a new Arab-Israeli military confrontation, the weapons delivered to the arsenals of any Arab country will be on the battlefield and will be used against the Jews. The likelihood of such a development of events is, of course, understood in Washington. But overseas in the Middle East conflict they never relied only on one side, and today, taking into account the realities of the Arab spring, the White House considers it necessary to demonstrate priority to the as yet stable regimes of the CA, the UAE and Qatar. “Of course, it is highly doubtful that Washington will turn its back on Jerusalem,” retired colonel Yaniv Rokhov, who worked for several years in the analytical department of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, said in an interview with NVO, “because the Jewish state is a key player in any Middle Eastern dispositions.
Indeed, the Americans will not put Jews on a hungry ration of arms supplies. Thus, according to various sources, the IDF will receive airborne anti-radar missiles. Very knowledgeable Israeli expert David Sharp in an article with the intriguing title “Contrary to expectations”, published in the Russian-language weekly “News of the week, ”believes that in this case we are talking about AGM-88 Harm missiles, designed to destroy enemy radar air defense systems. Sharpe does not exclude the fact that the Pentagon will eventually agree to sell Israel and convertiplanes, the payment of which will be partially made from funds annually allocated overseas aid. And the head of the planning department of the IDF General Staff Major General Nirod Shefer did not rule out that because of the huge price of these cars, the Americans would agree to transfer several "challengers" to Israeli aviators for rent. Sharpe’s concern is that the United States is selling models of the most advanced military aircraft with equipment that Israelis are not offered to the armies of the Gulf countries. So, all the F-15, delivered to the Saudis, are equipped with airborne radar stations (BRLS) with an active phased antenna array (AFAR), which was not installed on Israeli aircraft of this type sold to Israel. Nevertheless, Yaniv Rokhov believes that “from time to time Americans will turn sideways with the Israelis in order to demonstrate their objectivism to the whole world, and above all to the Arabic.”
In fact, the situation in the region is much more complicated and is characterized not only by the polarization of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The divided Islamic world divided the Arabs. And not only on the Sunnis and Shiites. Thus, the controversy separates the SA and Qatar, Sunni monarchies that support the Sunni rebels fighting against the Alawite regime of Bashir al-Assad in Syria close to the Shia. Doha is what is called "wave drives." Of course, "revolutionary, Arab, spring." And Riyadh fears that this “wave” will reach the shores of the Saudi kingdom. Other Arab monarchies have ambitions and their interests. So, several years ago, a war between Qatar and Bahrain almost started because of a territorial dispute. In other words, this is a multi-vector intra-Muslim confrontation, although, again, for them the main enemy - Israel, has long been defined, and its place is outside the Muslim world. The situation is far from unique, but at the same time everyone without exception strives to arm themselves to the teeth. It is clear that neither the United States, nor any other country, the contradictions that have been torn apart by the region for decades, will be solved. But they can make good money.
IN STANDBY OF WAR
It is significant that weapon not only Americans, but also Germans, Turks, Chinese, Swiss and Swedes sell to the Arabian monarchies. So, Germany delivered Qatar 62 tank Leopard-2 and 24 PZH-2000 self-propelled artillery mounts. These self-propelled guns are considered the best in the world in terms of a set of indicators. The Swiss sold hand grenade launchers, ammunition and two-seat turboprop-powered Pilatus PC-21 trainers to the SA, UAE and Qatar. Ankara is going to deliver drones "Anka" of own production. Back in 2006, Beijing and Riyadh signed an agreement on security issues. At the same time, clauses of the contract on defense systems were agreed upon, the contents of which remained secret. However, it is known that in 2008 the Chinese delivered 54 self-propelled howitzers to the Saudis. The Swedish Institute for Military Research is helping the SA export its own military products and build a plant to produce explosives and fuel for anti-tank missiles.
Undoubtedly, the SA and other Arabian monarchies are arming themselves at a high rate. In the current turbulent “spring Arabic time”, the enemies of the regimes ruling there can be activated both from the “inside” and “outside”. But, as the Arabic proverb says, “one thousand enemies outside the walls of the house are better than one inside.” Worst of all, of course, if the internal and external enemies act simultaneously and united front. True, in the Arab world this can happen only in relation to Israel.
According to expert estimates, among the 15 countries (USA, China, Russia, Great Britain, South Korea, Australia, Canada, India, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Italy, France, Brazil, CA), the Saudis have a share of military expenditures in gross national product for last year's 2012 was the highest - 8,9%. The second and third places are shared by the United States and Russia - by 4,4%. This is followed by South Korea - 2,7%, UK and India - by 2,5%. In the last place is Japan, whose military expenses as a percentage of GNP made up only 1%.
The Russian dissertation scholar Alexander Menshov quite rightly writes in his study of the development of the Middle East arms market: “... the Arab countries during the second half of the twentieth century were in a state of“ waiting for war ”. Even in the absence of war, as such, the leaders of the rich oil states of the Persian Gulf (CA, UAE, Kuwait, etc.), experiencing a constant sense of external threat, sometimes spent no less money on improving their armed forces than during the hostilities themselves. " (Menshov A.S. The evolution of military-technical cooperation between the states of the Middle East in the second half of the twentieth century. Abstract of the dissertation for the degree of candidate historical sciences. M .: Ross. State humanitarian un-t, 2010). The point of view expressed by the Russian dissertation candidate should not be understood too narrowly, because any country in the region that belongs to the “boiling point” of the planet is in “anticipation of war”. Undoubtedly, Israel is constantly in this state, to a large extent Iran, as well as North and South Korea. India and Pakistan are in a similar state.
HYDROCARBONS CLOSER TO THE BODY
Dissertator Alexander Menshov does not agree with the promise that "it is precisely excessive military supplies that sooner or later provoke military conflicts." In his opinion, the state of “expectation of war” can last for an immensely long time. If we continue this idea, then modern weapons, which are in the arsenals of the opposing but not belligerent parties, should be considered as a “deterrent factor”. But this is the “cold war”. It turns out that nothing has changed in the region of the Middle East since the end of the last century. The intensity of the “multi-vector” confrontation continues, and he has not seen the end yet. In fairness, we note that the arms race in all world "boiling points" is not reduced. But something began to change. The political component in the supply of weapons has decreased markedly, and the commercialization has increased dramatically.
The financial capabilities of Israel, which does not possess significant natural resources, cannot be compared with the capabilities of the SA, the UAE, Qatar and other “oil” monarchies. Therefore, one cannot but agree with the author of the thesis, Vadim Zaichikov, who draws attention to the fact that “the stability of the situation in the CA provides the United States permanent access to the hydrocarbon energy resources of the region”.
The Jewish state is the only state in the Middle East built on democratic principles. But principles are not translated into cash equivalents. Hence the juggling of priorities in the supply of arms by the United States and Western European countries.
Well-known Israeli analyst Dov Kontorer ends his article “To the sounds of the march”, published in the Vesti-2 newspaper, a weekly supplement to the Russian-language newspaper Vesti: “Israelis cannot be pleased that the new package of American military supplies to our country, discussed for several years, in the end, it turned out to be a “buy-out” for the White House to Israel at the conclusion of a larger and more dangerous for Jerusalem the United States deal with the SA and the UAE ”. The danger was really real. To the words of Countermaster, as they say, do not add, do not subtract.
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