ISRAEL ADDS HI-TECH WARPLANES
New York Post ^ | 2/20/04 | ANDY SOLTIS



February 20, 2004 -- Israel's military brass yesterday cheered the arrival of the first in a new fleet of U.S.-made warplanes enabling their air force to reach anywhere in the Mideast. The two F-16I's were the first installment of Israel's biggest military purchase ever - $4.5 billion - to stock defenses with 102 of the state-of-the-art jets by the end of the decade.
Defense analysts noted the F-16I's enlarged fuel tank allows it to skirt the ground even at top speeds - enabling it to make pre-emptive strikes anywhere in the region, including against Iran's top-secret nuclear arms program.

Israel used the first generation of F-16s to blow up Iraq's main atomic reactor at Osirak in 1981.

At yesterday's ceremony welcoming the new jets, Army chief Moshe Yaalon hinted at their impact on the Mideast when he described the F-16I's as "a response to the threat of ground missiles and non-conventional weapons" facing Israel.

Iran says its nuclear reactors are solely devoted to civilian uses. But some have been built underground to withstand air attack or surrounded by anti-aircraft batteries.
Torog Reviewed by Torog on . Israel Adds Hi-tech Warplanes ISRAEL ADDS HI-TECH WARPLANES New York Post ^ | 2/20/04 | ANDY SOLTIS February 20, 2004 -- Israel's military brass yesterday cheered the arrival of the first in a new fleet of U.S.-made warplanes enabling their air force to reach anywhere in the Mideast. The two F-16I's were the first installment of Israel's biggest military purchase ever - $4.5 billion - to stock defenses with 102 of the state-of-the-art jets by the end of the decade. Defense analysts noted the F-16I's enlarged fuel Rating: 5