Buried in Wikileaks’ latest document dump exposing about 250,000 US diplomatic cables are a few items of real interest to the global aerospace industry. Here’s a list of the five most interesting cables:
1. A cable on 4 November 2009 summarizes a meeting between then-US Central Command chief Gen David Petraeus and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. Pushing Petraeus to pressure US fighter manufacturers to participate in the upcoming Bahrain air show, the monarch of Manama noted Dassault Rafale would be represented. Hamad, however, is apparently not a fan of the Rafale , as “he agreed with Petraeus that the French fighter was yesterday’s technology”. Oh la la!
2. In a cable dated 22 December 2009, Israeli political-military chief Amos Gilad talks about Russian interest in Israeli UAV technology. Although Russia is prepared to pay $1 billion for access to Israeli’s latest capability, Israel is not inclined to sell, Gilad says. “Such technology would likely end up in the hands of the Chinese,” the cable says, paraphrasing Gilad’s remarks. This raises a question about exactly what Russia wants to buy. Could it be the Eitan (or Heron 2), or perhaps a secret project? The cable doesn’t say.
3. Qatar operates two Boeing C-17s, but a cable dated 10 August 2009 reveals misgivings. Qatar’s military “clearly registered its disappointment” that the US government blocked the installation of the Northrop Grumman large area infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) as part of the direct commercial sale of the large transports. The chief of staff of Qatari’s military was “particularly sensitive”, believing the LAIRCM rejection made him look bad to his civilian superiors.
4. Israel’s concerns about US arms sales to Arab states are well-known, but two cables illuminate the process. A cable on 18 November 2009 describes Israeli concerns about the US government plan to sell F-15SAs to Saudi Arabia and AIM-120C7 AMRAAMs to Jordan. Another cable on 30 July 2009 explains the F-15SA concerns are focused on the transfer of Enhanced Paveway II bombs, joint helmet mounted cueing system (JHMCS) and active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The same cable also registers concerns about the US government’s plan to sell Cessna Caravans and Raven unmanned aircraft systems to the Lebanon air force, which Israel fears could become targets in a war with Hezbollah.
5. So far, only one mention of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). A cable on 16 February 2010 summarizes a meeting between Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and his counterpart in Turkey, Vecdi Gonul. Perhaps concerned about preserving national sovereignty, Gonul noted the importance of establishing F-35 maintenance facilities in Turkey.