AEW project runs into objections from Washington over technology transfer

Published: 11/15/1999

It seems that the US is unhappy with potential sale of Israeli-equipped Beriev AEW aircraft to China (www.concise.org 4th October 1999) and, according to some sources, is applying considerable pressure to have the sale blocked. A variant of the Beriev A-50, the A-501, one of which is currently being fitted with the Elta Phalcon radar in Tel Aviv, are the subject of considerable discussion between Tel Aviv and Washington, which is concerned about the loss of sensitive technology to China. For IAI, the parent company of Elta, and Beriev, the orders are potentially worth over $1 billion, as well as laying the ground for potential sales for the package elsewhere. Israel has already made a sale of a similar system to Chile in a Boeing 707. It seems that the competitor for the contract, Marconi's Avionic's Argos system, that is currently being evaluated alongside the Phalcon for inclusion in the A-50, is not experiencing similar pressure in the UK, according to spokesman, Ian Bustin. He added that: “The programme is not new and has met with all the requirements of the UK government for being sold to China”.

Article ID: 1075