Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon got to fly in a V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft Friday during a US visit, as his country weighs whether to buy the American military plane.
Yaalon arrived for talks at the Pentagon in unusual fashion, with the hybrid aircraft — which hovers like a helicopter — floating down for a landing outside the steps of the Defense Department.
Washington has offered the Osprey to Israel along with advanced missiles, sophisticated radar and aerial refueling tankers. If the deal goes through, Israel would be the first foreign country allowed to buy the Osprey.
Yaalon earlier flew in the Osprey 60 kilometers (37 miles) to a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, where pilots demonstrated the plane’s capabilities, officials said.
The Israelis came away impressed by the speed of the aircraft, and one said it could “extend the night” for Israeli special forces, said a US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The V-22, which has two rotors that tilt up for landing and take-off, was plagued by technical problems and a spate of crashes in the 1990s. But the plane, manufactured by Boeing, has become a favored workhorse in Afghanistan and elsewhere for the US Marine Corps, which has a fleet of more than 200.
The US Navy recently announced plans to buy 99 V-22s for $6.5 billion in a five-year contract.
After landing, Yaalon entered the Pentagon for talks with his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, with the two expected to discuss US plans to arm Syrian rebels, Iran’s nuclear program as well as the US arms package.
US gives Israeli minister a ride in V-22 Osprey aircraft
