A Special Operations CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor refueling in-mid-air
TEL AVIV: Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz is pushing for the purchase of Bell-Boeing V-22 Ospreys, an acquisition long desired by the Israeli Air Force but put on hold in February over budget concerns.
Gantz, a retired lieutenant-general who advocated for the V-22 buy during his time as Israeli Defense Force chief of staff, became defense minister in May as part of an unusual coalition deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under which Gantz will become prime minister in November 2021. The Israeli government is in turmoil after three general elections in less than 12 months, disrupting the V-22 budget and other official business. On top of that, Gantz and Netanyahu — while coalition partners — are frequently at odds.
An important potential ally for Gantz in the Ministry of Defense? The former IAF commander, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, is now the MOD’s director general.
MV-22 Osprey in hover mode
Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, who now holds Gantz’s old job as IDF chief of staff, has publicly said that Israel needs 12 to 14 V-22s. The tiltrotor is a hybrid aircraft that combines the long range of a turboprop airplane with a helicopter’s capability to take off and land without a runway. That makes it attractive to the IDF for high-speed, long-range raids and for emergency evacuation of Israeli’s gas pumping platforms in the Mediterranean. The Israelis have given Boeing & Bell a list of desired modifications, including enlarged fuel tanks and mid-air refueling capacity to extend their range, as well as avionics and other features found on the US Special Operations version of the aircraft, the CV-22.
In August, the IDF even issued a formal Price & Availability (P&A) request for the V-22 to the US Navy International Programs (NIPO), which oversees exports of the tiltrotor. But the IDF’s simultaneous needs for new fighters, aerial tankers, and heavy-lift helicopters ended up squeezing the V-22 out of the budget.
Last week, Gantz met with senior officers on the IDF general staff and ordered a reevaluation of February’s decision to postpone the purchase.
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