Officials: UK embargo may ground Israel's fleet of Phantom jets
_POSTEDON 2003-01-03 20:27:00 by
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hehe _WRITES "By The Associated Press
Israel may have to ground its fleet of 140 F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers because Britain has blocked sales of critical spare parts, Israeli officials said Friday.
A British government official denied there was an arms embargo, but said exports should not be used against Palestinians.
Rachel Niedak-Ashkenazi, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Ministry of Defense, she didn't know how soon the planes would have to be grounded, whether in weeks or months. "We are desperately searching for other sources but haven't located any yet," she said.
The Phantom, which has been in Israeli service since 1969, is a U.S.-built jet, but uses parts manufactured by Britain's Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd in the pilots' ejection seats.
In addition to the Phantoms, the Israeli air force has about 350 newer F-15 and F-16 jets - with another 100 F-16s on order. Even without the Phantoms, the air force would remain superior to any potential opponent in the region.
In London, a government official refused to comment on the specific case, but noted that the Foreign Office last year approved 128 export licenses to Israel on military-related items and refused 77.
"There is no official or unofficial embargo on arms exports to Israel (but) we adhere to our own and European Union criteria which says exports should not be used for internal repression or external aggression," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We have to take into account what's happening in the occupied territories."
British government officials have complained in the past that Israel broke a pledge not to use British equipment in its crackdown against the Palestinian Authority. Although Israel's equipment purchases in Britain are not large, they are said to involve a number of critical items.
The McDonnell F4 Phantom II was one of the most successful and prolific American jet fighters built. It was in production from 1959 to 1979, and a total of 5,057 were delivered to air forces around the world.
In Israeli service, the jet was extensively modernized in the early 1990s.
Martin Baker is the world's leading manufacturer of ejection seats. It is one of the few companies in the world that produces parts to maintain the seats used in Israeli Phantoms.
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