I wonder what new capabilities will be developed by the Israelis with their V-22s. Will this capability be made available to others? Perhaps some of the already mooted new uses for the V-22 will be developed.
Israel to Buy Six V-22 Ospreys From U.S. in First Sale 01 Nov 2013 Tony Capaccio
"The U.S. will sell Israel six V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft made by Boeing Co. (BA) and Textron Inc. (TXT), Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said.
The transaction will mark the first international sale of the aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter and flies like a conventional airplane. The Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force special operations pilots fly versions of the Osprey.
“I have directed the Marine Corps to make sure this order is expedited,” Hagel said in remarks prepared for the Anti-Defamation League’s Centennial Dinner in New York tonight. “That means Israel will get six V-22s out of the next order to go on the assembly line.”
The Pentagon said earlier this year that the U.S. was offering to sell an unspecified number of Ospreys as part of a package that included aerial refueling tankers, precision anti-radar missiles and air defense radar. Details of the other systems haven’t been announced."
Israel to Buy Six V-22 Ospreys From U.S. in First Sale - Bloomberg