WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is refusing to provide Israel with some technologies used in the Joint Strike Fighter, the U.S. military's next-generation fighter jet that is in development with a number of international partners, a Defense Department spokesman said Thursday.
The move stems from concerns that the information could be transferred to other countries, Lawrence Di Rita said.
He declined to specify what countries were of concern, although the U.S. government has previously opposed the sale of Israeli weapons to China.
"There are some types of technology and information that at the moment we're not comfortable sharing while some issues can be worked out," Di Rita said at news conference.
Still, he said, "Our commitment to sell the Joint Strike Fighter to Israel is unchanged as well."
On Sunday, Israeli defense industry executives said the United States had frozen Israel out of the development of the fighter as punishment for its military cooperation with China.
The executives said the American decision was related to displeasure over Israeli arms deals with China, particularly over weapon systems that the U.S. contends could be used to invade Taiwan.
Israel is one of the principal foreign participants in the development of the Joint Strike Fighter, also called the F-35. The plane is expected to replace the aging F-16 in the American inventory.
The White House has recently warned European countries to maintain its boycott on China arms sales, imposed after Chinese authorities put down demonstrations against Communist rule in 1989.
The U.S. Air Force plans to take delivery of the first F-35s in 2008.
38ÂÂŽ
I think it's because UAV " Harpy" that makes US itch.
The Harpy got the green light for exporting to China during Clinton Administration , however, due to the hardliner Bush Administration and changing international landscape. Now, the US got tough on all the military related export to China.
LazerLordz
More of the Phalcon issue.
38ÂÂŽ
Originally posted by LazerLordz:
More of the Phalcon issue.
Phalcon cancelled halfway, the equipments never landed in China. For that , Israel even paid 250 million US$ penalty.
SMAPLionHeart
oooo
CenturionMBT
who knows . . .they might have sold it to them underground already.