On Monday, a jet took off from Savannah, Georgia, and set its coordinates for Ben-Gurion International Airport outside of Tel Aviv. Stopping on the way to refuel in Canada and Ireland, the jet looked like any other Gulfstream G550, known as one of the most luxurious business jets in the world and price listed at around $50 million.
But the jet was no ordinary business airliner, and it was being flown not by a wealthy businessman, but by an Israel Air Force pilot. It was heading to a welcoming ceremony in Israel, to be inaugurated as the IAF's first Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane in 14 years.
During the ceremony, IAF Commander Maj.-Gen. Elazar Shkedy hinted at a connection between the plane's arrival and the nuclear threat emanating from Iran. Speaking of an "existential threat" looming in the Islamic Republic, Shkedy said the new AWACS was an essential operational tool that would be utilized to create aerial pictures deep inside enemy territory, and serve as a warning system for incoming aerial threats, such as Iranian ballistic missiles. |