Israel's arms industry has failed to secure contracts worth four $billion in the past year, the latest being a deal with an Asian country for shipborne missiles worth $700 million, the daily Haaretz said Wednesday.
The missile contract went to France's Matra, despite a joint effort by the state-owned Israeli Aircraft Industries and privately-owned Rafael, Haaretz said, without naming the Asian country concerned.
The paper said the decision to scrap the sale of airborne early warning radar (AWACS) to China under pressure from the United States had cost one $billion.
Israel, in a joint venture with Russia's Kamov, also missed out on a $1.5 billion sale of combat helicopters to Turkey. Ankara has announced it favours US Bell-Textron.
Another AWACS sale to Australia would have netted $one billion, and a Turkish spy satellite $270 million, Haaretz added.
The paper quoted Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh as saying that total Israeli arms sales abroad would reach $2.15 billion this year, about the same as last year. In 1998 they slumped 35 percent over the previous year to $1.7 billion.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak made a pitch for the Israeli arms industry when he made a one-day visit to Turkey on Monday. - (AFP)
© Agence France Presse 2000
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
