It now seems certain that the United Arab Emirates will get its wish, and the American government will sell it the advanced F-35 Stealth fighter jet it has long craved, now that the Emirates has agreed to normalize relations with Israel. But what, in that case, can be done to preserve Israel’s “qualitative military edge” (QME)? Benjamin Weil has some suggestions here.
For more than 6 years, the UAE has been eyeing Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning. The US has been hesitant to sell the fighter jet to the Emiratis, in order to preserve Israel’s air supremacy in the skies of the Middle East. But now that the Israelis and Emiratis have signed a peace agreement, the Emirati request will most likely be granted. Israel no longer has a leg to stand on, since the two countries are no longer considered enemies, and Israel will be pressured by the United State to withdraw its objection in order to let the sale go through.
If this ends up being the case, Israel has the ability to leverage the sale of the F-35 to the UAE. There are a number of areas in which Israel might want to ask for American assistance to compensate for the reduced air supremacy in the region. The Israeli argument will be, if you are increasing our national security risk in one area, help us reduce our national security risk in another — a fair request on Israel’s behalf. I would like to outline a few potential requests that we can expect Israel to raise.
If Israel, whose military men strongly oppose the sale of the F-35 to the UAE as a potential threat to the Jewish state’s security, fail to stop it, then at least Israel needs to be provided with other weapons – not necessarily planes – or with American policies that will enhance its security in other ways.
Israel has been interested in American bunker buster bombs. Bunker buster bombs, such as the MOAB (“Mother of All Bombs”), have a delayed fuse explosion, allowing them to penetrate deep bunkers — even those of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Following the normalization of relations with the UAE, Israel has a comfortable launching pad to execute any airstrike against Iranian facilities. If the US were to give Israel these bombs, there would be nothing standing in the way of Israel to act independently against the Iranian nuclear program — a concern shared by many US defense officials and policymakers.
These MOABs are exactly what Israel needs to destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities that are deep underground, and otherwise impervious to attack. The UAE should even be willing to give Israel use of bases in the Emirates from which its planes can take off for Iranian sites. Surely, since Israel’s chief worry is how to destroy Iran’s nuclear project, obtaining these MOAB bunker busters will be critical to that effort.
Another long-standing Israeli request is the F-22 Raptor. Unlike the F-35’s single-engine, the F-22 is a twin-engine fighter jet, and is even known to be stealthier than the F-35. Adding the F-22 to the IDF’s toolbox would upgrade its capabilities against anti-aircraft missile systems in Syria and Iran. It would also seem very reasonable for Israel to request this air force advantage in exchange for giving the UAE another stealth aircraft.
The main hurdle to overcome with this request lays [sic] on Capitol Hill. The 1998 Obey Amendment prevents the sale of the F-22 to any foreign government. Congressman Obey worried that foreign countries with the F-22 would be able to reverse engineer the jet’s stealth technology, and maybe even sell the technology to a third country. It is reported that the Department of Defense is neutral on repealing the law. Considering the fact that a number of countries have already purchased the stealth F-35, I don’t believe it would be unrealistic for this Israeli request to be granted.
The F-22 Raptor is even more important to Israel – because it is “stealthier” – than the F-35, and thus better able to avoid the anti-aircraft missiles in Syria and, especially, Iran, should those planes be sent on missions to destroy Iran’s nuclear project. The Obey Amendment, which prevents the sale of the F-22 to any foreign government, is 22 years old. The worry in 1998 was that a foreign government might try to reverse-engineer the plane’s stealth technology. But American stealth technology has already been allowed to spread, since the Obey Amendment was adopted, to a number of countries that have bought the F-35. The F-22 is an improvement on, but not a radical departure from, the stealth technology used in the F-35. Israel is our closest military ally; if allowed to purchase the F-22, it would certainly commit to not engaging in any reverse-engineering and to never selling the technology to a third country. The fact that the DoD is “neutral” – that is, it does not object to repeal of the Obey Amendment – suggests that sale of the F-22 to Israel, in exchange for Israel’s commitment not to engage in reverse engineering, should go through to retain the Jewish state’s QME even after the Emirates are allowed to buy the F-35.
A third possible request, one that perhaps has the biggest impact on the Middle East, is related to the Saudi nuclear agreement with China. The Saudis claim their nuclear cooperation with China is for civilian use only. However, unlike the US, when the Chinese share nuclear knowledge, they make no requirement for the Saudis to limit its use at all, effectively allowing the Saudis to enrich uranium to a military grade. The Saudis already have a stockpile of Chinese missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. This wouldn’t be so troublesome for the Israelis had Saudi Crown Prince MBS not told “60 Minutes” that “if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.” Israeli officials have echoed their concerns regarding this nuclear arms race in general, and the Saudi nuclear project in particular. The Israelis would like the US to apply more pressure on Saudi Arabia and be more proactive on this matter before things get out of control or become irreversible.
Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon has continually been set back by Israeli attacks, beginning with the Stuxnet cyberworm that in 2010 caused Iran’s centrifuges to speed up uncontrollably, and thereby to self-destruct. Then there were the assassinations of four of Iran’s most important nuclear scientists, the seizure of Iran’s entire nuclear archive of 50,000 documents, and 134 tapes, and now that nuclear project has again been set back, by at least two years, thanks to the recent Israeli attack on the new centrifuge plant at Natanz. Since it is known that Israel has pledged “never” to allow Iran to attain its nuclear goal, there should be less worry about the Saudi Crown Prince’s threat to “follow suit.” In foiling Iran’s nuclear project, Israel will make sure the Saudis will never have the need for such weapons themselves.
Lastly, there is Turkey. Turkey has been a bone in the throat for Israel and the Mediterranean countries. Turkey’s maritime disputes with Cyprus and Greece might prevent Israel from building an under-sea pipeline to Europe. The development of Israel’s energy sector has an immense economic and strategic value. Turkey has also been supporting Hamas in Gaza, and been linked to many terrorist activities against Israel. Israel would like to see the US take a stronger stance against Turkey to prevent Turkey from becoming the next Iran.
Turkey has already been denounced by Israel, Cyprus and Greece for attempting to search for gas and oil in Greek and Cypriot territorial waters, for its attempts to chase away Greek and Israeli research vessels, and for its attempted interference with the building of the EastMed natural gas pipeline from Israel’s Leviathan field and Cyprus’ Aphrodite field, to customers in Europe. The UAE, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece and France have also denounced Turkey’s “interference in Libya.” Turkish troops in Libya have angered many Arabs, who see this invasion as an act of neo-Ottoman aggression. Erdogan’s mention of “Libyan Turks” – a reference to a few hundred thousand Libyans of Turkish descent, most of them living in the city of Misrata, whose supposed need for protection helps to justify Erdogan’s intervention in the Libyan civil war – has infuriated Arabs. Turkey has also established what appears to be a permanent military presence in Idlib Province in Syria, without the consent of either Assad’s Arabs or of the Sunni Syrian Arabs opposed to Assad; Erdogan has said the Turks will remain “until Syria is free” – by which he meant “free from control by the Assad government.” Since that government currently controls 70% of Syria, the Turks are likely to be there for a very long time. And in northern Iraq Turkish troops are determined to suppress Kurdish YPG fighters, and give no signs of leaving despite being asked to do so by Baghdad. Given such determination by Erdogan, nothing the U.S. threatens is likely to change his policies, including his steadfast antagonism toward Israel.
Given all those enemies whose protests Turkey has brushed off, would a “stronger stance” by the U.S. make much of a difference? The Americans could threaten an arms embargo, but wouldn’t Turkey in that case turn to Russia, as it did for the S-400 anti-missile system, or even to China, as alternative suppliers? Turkey will change only when Erdogan is no longer in power, putting paid to his neo-Ottoman dreams on land (Syria, Iraq, Libya) and sea (the eastern Mediterranean), that Erdogan treats as “mare nostrum” – “our [Turkish] sea.”
Israel might consider asking for either of the requests above, or for a combination of them. Whatever the case, Israel should ask for American commitments that will last long after the November elections in the US, and for ones that cannot be reversed.
Of the four suggestions the author makes, the most convincing to me are those about the MOAB bunker busters and the F-22 Raptor, the most advanced Stealth jets in the American armory. These are what are most necessary for Israel to now acquire: the Stealth planes can be used to avoid Iranian attack, and the bunker busters can destroy Iran’s underground nuclear sites. The Saudis suggest that they will engage in their own nuclear project only if Iran first attains nuclear weapons, but the Israeli military has assured the world that – whatever it takes — that Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons will never happen. If that is true, the Saudis will have no need for nuclear weapons of their own.
Finally, Turkey under Erdogan has made enemies of almost every one of its neighbors and, with Turkey’s economic collapse, his foreign adventures weigh every more heavily. It’s not American pressure, but Turkey’s economic debacle, that will make Erdogan change his policies – if anything will. Domestic politics will decide his fate; in 2019 his AKP party lost municipal elections in Turkey’s three biggest cities — Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. Erdogan and his AKP party have continued to lose support ever since the beginning of 2020. Key former allies, such as former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, have abandoned him, and the AKP, in order to form their own parties.
For Israel, it is more important right now to have the means to destroy Iran’s nuclear project than to have the U.S. “applying pressure” on Saudi Arabia not to proceed with a nuclear project and trying to get Erdogan to change his spots. Better to assure Saudi Arabia that it will not have to worry about Iran’s nuclear project: Israel, with help from the Americans, will see to it that Iran will never be a nuclear power. As for Erdogan, his own collapsing economy, at a time of expensive overreach in Libya, Syria, and Iraq, will in the end force him to rethink his grand plans in the Eastern Mediterranean, where he has made so many enemies, and perhaps stop his incursions into the territorial waters of Greece and Cyprus, and his attempt to interfere with Israel’s EastMed gas pipeline, that will go from the Leviathan (Israel) and Aphrodite ( Cyprus) gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe.
Israel’s toolbox to destroy Iran’s nuclear project should now include the F-22 Stealth fighter jets, and MOAB bunker busters to hit targets deep underground. It’s not much to ask. With them, Israel will do not only itself, but also its allies, including the U.S. and the UAE — a world of good.
Eli says
Wiser not to compromise with enemies, even in a peace attempt. There are some people you can never trust. Selling and compromising to the Emirati is still like giving weapons, that in turn will be used against you. It’s like a sibling or people, that you help in a time of crisis, who then turn on you and attack you. Have they been trustworthy in the past, and do they have the same goal? Are contracts to be kept, or only a means of manipulation to use you for their advantage? I know many charmers and deceivers with a different goal in mind, whom I’ve helped and then defied me or any authority.
Ismail Ali says
Wailers are the same everywhere. America knows peace can not be sustained ,if there is no balanced arsenals on both sides of the sword …To eat with the devil ,you must arm yourself with a long spoon.. That’s just what America have done for UAE .
CogitoErgoSum says
I’m still waiting for you to explain the Jizya to me.
FYI says
“to eat with the devil you must arm yourself with a long spoon”
And speaking of the devil..and islamic teachings of the devil..
“As regards yawning,it is from satan,so one most try one’s best to stop it,if one says ‘Ha’ when yawning,satan will laugh at him”
Sahih Bukhari 8:73:242
“Narrated Abdullah,a person was mentioned before the prophet and he was told he had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer.
The prophet said ‘satan urinated in his ears’
Sahih Bukhari 2:21:245
“When any of you wakes up from sleep and performs ablution,he must clean his nose three times,for satan spends the night inside the nose”
sahih Muslim 2:462
David Dzelilovic says
A brief explanation of Jizya in the interim while you wait for the response.
Jizya is a form of “tax” that is paid to Muslims by non-Muslims who want to remain as non-Muslims in an Islamic land.
It is charged at around 50% of income, and has been likened to “protection money” that Mafia collects from businesses.
Despite paying the Jizya, the non-Muslims remain “dhimmis” (which means “protected” from attacks by Muslims), the non-Muslims are “second-class” non-citizens considered of lesser value than livestock, and treated worse.
gravenimage says
David, CogitoErgoSum knows what Jizya is. He is waiting for Ismail Ali to justify it.
CogitoErgoSum says
Yes, I would like to see how Ismail Ali explains it. It should be interesting. I think he’s just going to keep ignoring me but I’m going to keep asking him anyway.
gravenimage says
Very much agree, CogitoErgoSum. Hard to put a decent spin on this persecution, but some Mohammedans have tried.
gravenimage says
Ah, yes–we have to strike a “balance” between Israel wanting to live in peace and Muslim nations wanting to destroy her. Good grief…
I’m sure the US just hopes that the UAE won’t actually use these shiny new toys.
john smith says
+1
owensgate says
I think it boils down to training and motive, instrumentalities of war being equal. A pilot waging war to wipe a country off the map will not nearly have the mental persuasion that a pilot fighting to keep his country from being wiped off the map has. Also, just without checking, I think IDF forces are much better trained. I found it extremely unsettling to have the pilot of my Saudia airliner reveal by his name that he was Arab. I imagined an “event” where he would throw up his hands, and say “It’s the will of allah”, or dredge up a motive for something more sinister.
gravenimage says
owensgate, despite (or because of?) their general aggression most Muslims are also terrible, poorly disciplined fighters. They generally prefer bullying vulnerable people.
Daniel Triplett says
Agreed
Myron J. Poltroonian says
While I agree that F-22 Raptors and MOAB’s are the best of the ‘Equalizer” solutions on Israel’s and America’s behalf, I disagree on Erdogan ever giving up his ambitions, no matter the cost to his country. His zeal is not just religious but egocentric to the nth degree. I have no doubts that he’ll partner with both Russia and China in secret deals while continuing to flood Europe with “Refugees”. Eventually, I suspect, he’ll try to absorb the remaining 2/3’s of Armenia that the Ottomans didn’t get well over a century ago. If Biden gets elected [fraudulently or otherwise] Israel will truly be on her own.
CogitoErgoSum says
Are the leaders of the UAE Muslims? Do they believe the Koran is the unchangeable word of Allah? Do they believe they must obey what Allah requests of them? Would not having better weapons help them carry out Allah’s request in Koran 9:29? Why in the world is the United States helping the Muslims carry out the will of Allah to destroy Israel and to humble the Jews into submission to Islam? Plus, it’s not only the Jews whom the Muslims are to make submit. Why, why, why is the U.S. helping Muslims enslave Israel and the world? Any sale of weapons to a nation dominated by Islam is helping them in their Jihad against ALL unbelievers in Islam. Somebody explain to me why I am wrong. My guess is that it all comes down to making some money from weapon sales.
David Dzelilovic says
The gullible “infidels” are ignorant of the fact that Sharia (Islamic Law) “mandates” that Muslims break “all” legally-binding agreements, contracts, covenants, treaties, etc, which Muslims make with non-Muslims.
A reasonable person might ask, “If Sharia mandates that Muslims break all legally-binding agreements which they make with non-Muslims, why do Muslims enter into legally-binding agreements with the non-Muslims?”
The answer is simple: Muslims enter into agreement with non-Muslims for the “sole purpose” of taking advantage of the non-Muslims; i.e. getting the upper hand when the time is ripe.
Islamic clerics ensure that Sharia (Islamic Law) is the “government policy” of Islamic nations, whether in written form or unwritten form. Well, come to think of it, the “government policy” is already written in the Qur’an!
Deception, fraud, and treachery is the normal modus operandi of Muslims in all their dealings with non-Muslims.
The political leaders of Islamic nations KNOW FULL WELL that they will be breaking the legally-binding agreements that are made with non-Muslims.
So the high-tech weapons that the gullible “infidels” sell to Islamic nations will be used against the very people who supplied the weapons to them!
There are plenty of historical precedents of this behavior by the Muslims, as recently as during WWI and WWII.
gravenimage says
+1
Peter35 says
Americans will do anything for money, it would seem, even when the slightest hiccup in international politics could see the UAE as the enemy once again. Forgotten, it would seem, is the fact that they are moslems, with all that that implies.
gravenimage says
Not all Americans are like this, Peter–but this is certainly a short-sighted, foolish move.
Westman says
When one inspects the best engineering texts one finds they are often written by Jews.
Past sales of arms to Israel have been useful for both parties because Israel improves and enhances them and the US becomes a beneficiary of the upgrades. For the Israelis, deficiencies mean life and death of a nation, so improvements are imperative.
The F-35 sales to the UAE might dampen the sharing of improvements by Israel in order to create technical advantage over the new UAE F-35 aircraft.
Frank Anderson says
There is a major error from some source in this article. A visit to the Air Force Armaments Museum in Florida, near Destin and Fort Walton will show that the MOAB is a fuel-air bomb weighing about 25,000 pounds, dropped usually by a cargo plane such as a C-130, to mix the fuel it contains with air and explode above the ground. It is not a bunker buster and has no reasonable effect through tens, hundreds, even thousands of feet of rock. The special bunker buster bombs made for the first attacks on Irag started with worn-out barrels from 155mm howitzers, which were fitted with steel caps, laser guidance and filled with a few hundred pounds of explosive (because that was all they could hold). They weighed about 5,000 pounds. The only planes that could carry them were F-111’s which have since been retired.
The name MOAB seems to have a hypnotic effect that prevents understanding just what is done.
gravenimage says
Thanks for that information, Frank.
Westman says
The designations can be confusing. The modern bunker buster is an MOP – Massive Ordinance Penetrator. There are some descriptions here:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/18376/usaf-orders-upgraded-massive-ordnance-penetrator-bombs-amid-tensions-with-north-korea
gravenimage says
How to Compensate Israel for the Sale of F-35s to the United Arab Emirates
…………..
This deal never should have gone through in the first place.
David Dzelilovic says
The rise of Islam will play a critical role in the Bible prophecies about an “end time” attack and invasion of the State of Israel ??, which will in turn involve all “western” nations of the world.
There will be a “great tribulation” (the mother of all troubles), such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world, nor ever will. (Matthew 24:21)
It will last for just under 3 ½ years, and unless those days are cut short, no life will be saved. (Matthew 24:22)
The scriptures provide a “time-marker”, which is the commencement of the construction of the third temple on the “holy place” (Matthew 24:15). The “first” 3 1/2 years of the commencement of the building of the Jewish third temple will be peaceful, but the “second” 3 1/2 year will be “the mother of all troubles”.
The “holy place” is the “original” location of the first two temples on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, but is not the current “falsely-called” Temple Mount. The original site is instead located approximately 600 feet south of the southern wall of the current falsely-called Temple Mount, and is the location of the “Giv’ati Parking Lot Excavations”: –
https://www.biblewalks.com/givati
The archeological findings at the “Giv’ati Parking Lot Excavations” prove beyond reasonable doubt that that is the site of the first two temples. Therefore, the most “holy place” on earth from the “geographical” perspective only, as distinct from people who are filled with God’s Holy Spirit, has been a “car park” until around 2007 when excavations began. This is worthy of a pause and consideration — the most “holy place” on earth was made into a “car parking lot”!!!
The Bible extensively describes the battle of the great day of God Almighty at “Armageddon” (which means “mountain rendezvous of troops”), which will be fought in Jerusalem, Judea and on the “mountains” of Israel ??. (Ezekiel 38-39; Matthew 24:15-22; Luke 21:20-24; Revelation 16:13-16)
The “leader” of the Islamic troops is identified as “Gog” and “chief prince” (prime governor) of the “land of Magog”; and also as the “king” of “Javan/Yavan” (mistranslated as “Grecia” in the Bible text). (Ezekiel 38:1-18; 39:1-15; Daniel 8:21; Joel 3:6).
The Islamic troops will be composed of Islamic nations identified in Ezekiel 38:1-6, and include Turkey ??, Iran ??, Libya ?? (probably also includes Tunisia ??), Ethiopia ?? (probably also includes Sudan ??, Somalia ??, Eritrea ??, Djibouti ??); and “many other people”. (Ezekiel 3:1-6)
The Islamic army will be led by none other than present day Turkey ??, where Satan dwells and the place of “Satan’s seat” (Satan’s center of government). (Revelation 2:13)
The Bible identifies the Islamic armies as predominantly composed of nations that have descended from: –
> Ham’s son Canaan (from Ham’s incestious union with his own mother). Canaan’s descendents are predominantly: (1) the Turkic nations, the major player of which is present day Turkey ?? (ancient Hittites); and (2) the people of Lebanon ?? (ancient Sidonians and Hivites); and
> Jacob-Israel’s twin brother Esau (Edom), which through Esau’s several marriages, are “predominantly”: –
(1) Turkic nations, the major one of which is Turkey ?? (ancient Hittites);
(2) Lebanon ?? (ancient Sidonians and Hivites); and
(3) The nations in the Arabian Peninsula from Ishmael’s sons Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
The names of cities and regions in the Arabian Peninsula have been named after Ishmael’s sons. For example: –
> Kedar is now Saudi Arabia ??;
> Tema is now Medina in Saudi Arabia ??, and is the city of the second most holiest Islamic mosque, the Prophet’s Mosque;
> Teman (not included above) is now Yemen ??.
Contrary to his parents’ wishes, Esau first married two Hittite women (present day Turkic people including Turkey ??); then he married Ishmael’s daughter (Abraham’s granddaughter); and then he married a Hivite woman (present day Lebanon ??).
The Bible also identifies the people of the “west” as predominantly the descendents of Jacob-Israel’s twelve (12) sons, which include but are not limited to the following nations: –
> Britain ??
> Ireland ??
> Europe, including eastern Europe
> Ukraine ??
> Russia ?? (founded by Sweden ?? in around 850 AD)
> The mighty USA ??
> Canada ??
> Australia ??
> New Zealand ??
> Israel’s ??
> Espanic nations in South America
> And a few more.
The end time battle will effectively be between the descendents of two twin brothers: –
> Jacob (aka Israel); and
> Esau (aka Edom).
The hostilities between the two brothers (Esau and Jacob) began while the two were in their mother’s womb, and the scriptures prophecy that the hostilities will only be resolved by Jesus Christ at the end of this age (world order), just prior to the beginning of the New Millennium. (Genesis 25:21-26)
Ordinarily, the west is invincible at war. However, sad to say on this occasion, the west will be sorely defeated, but not fully extinguished.
The reason for the west’s defeat: Because of the overwhelming size of the Islamic troops that will number an unprecedented 200,000,000. Yes, 200 million troops! (Revelation 9:16)
The 200 million Islamic troops will probably include voluntary and involuntary conscripts which in most Islamic nations can range from around 15 to 49 years of age, and may also include both genders.
The root cause of the west’s defeat: The people of the “west” (i.e. the descendent of Jacob-Israel) while healthy, wealthy, prosperous and safe, have shamefully transgressed their Maker. (Ezekiel 39:22-29)
A “remnant” (small proportion) of the descendents of Jacob-Israel will be saved, but only after they turn to God for help (Isaiah 17:4-11).
Jesus will then utterly destroy the Islamic army in Jerusalem, Judea and on the mountains of Israel ??. The enemy blood will be up to the horse bridles (4 ft or 1.22 metres) most likely in Hulah Basin at the base of Mount Hermon, and will flow 1,600 furlongs (200 miles) into the Dead Sea. The dead will be consumed by wild animals and birds. (Isaiah 17:12-14; Ezekiel 38:18-22; 39:1-21; Revelation 14:20; 19:11-21)
The only solution for the Jews and the people of the west is to receive God’s Holy Spirit as commended by Jesus and experienced by His disciples. (Mark 16:15-18; Luke 11:5-13; John 3:3-8; 20:22; Acts 1:4-5; 1:8; 2:1-4; 2:17-18; 2:37-38; 10:44-48; 19:1-6; and elsewhere)
Jesus “breathed” (emphasised) to His disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” (John 20:22)
I urge everyone to heed Jesus’s advice and receive God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5; Acts 2:1-4; 2:37-38).
john smith says
Thank you David, you certainly have put a lot of work into this post and it’s much appreciated.
David Dzelilovic says
Thank you john smith, and you’re most welcome!
gravenimage says
WWII certainly must have seemed like end times… The truth is no date is actually given. I think we have to assume that we have to take a hand in our own defense.
owensgate says
Amir Tsarfati’s frequent ME updates have become highly relevant lately. https://youtu.be/9aLo5u8wbkc
It seems he has quite a few connections not available to just anyone.
David Dzelilovic says
They thought the same about WWI, gravenimage.
No one knows when, not even Jesus Himself!
However, there are several “signs”, and a distinct “time-marker”, which is when the construction of the third temple begins.
The Temple Institute has made all equipment that is required for temple service, as specified in the Old Testament, and have “certified” the “Levitical priests”. The “red heifer” held in a secret location is thought to be ready. The blueprint and building materials for the temple are ready. The Israeli government will need to acquire a little bit of additional land from the Jews and the Muslims for the temple. Acquisition of land from Jews will not be a problem. However, the same cannot be said about acquiring land from the Muslims because it’s contrary to Sharia and punishable by death. But this is when the Islamic cunning comes to the fore. The Muslims will enter into a “covenant of peace” with the Jews to sell them the additional land that is required for the Jewish temple, then break the “covenant of peace” and thus turn it into a “covenant of death” for the Jews, and then “seize” the Jewish temple for themselves and convert it into an Islamic mosque ? as they did to Hagia Sofia.
The Islamic mosque ? “standing on the holy place” is, the “abomination” that causes “desolation” (despair, destruction and depopulation) of Jerusalem and Judea. The Jews who do not “flee to the mountains” in the middle of the seven lunar year “Daniel’s 70th week” will be trapped on Jerusalem and Judea, the men and pubescent boys killed, the women and girls raped and taken captive to “Grecia” (should be Javan/Yavan”, which is present day Turkey ??) (Zechariah 14:2; Joel 3:6; and elsewhere).
It will mirror what the Turks ?? did when they conquered Constantinople.
Daniel Triplett says
The F-22 can’t deploy the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB). The weapon is too big and heavy. The MOAB is designed to be deployed by the C-130, which Israel already has, on tactical targets within a larger battlespace already under friendly control. The C-130 is slow and has no stealth, which makes it unsuitable for missions over targets heavily defended by sophisticated surface-to-air or air-to-air (fighter intercept) weapons.
Besides, the GBU-43/B MOAB isn’t designed for destroying the Iranian hardened underground bunkers we’re talking about. The MOAB is an air burst weapon intended for soft to medium surface targets over an extended area. It’s optimized for targets in environments like caves, canyons or an extensive mine fields. It doesn’t have the penetrative capability that some other munitions have.
Attempting to destroy such underground Iranian facilities with conventional ordnance requires the more advanced, larger, and heavier 33,000 pound GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), designed as an Earth Penetrating Weapon against underground facilities. Adversaries anticipating attack with the MOP would attempt to counter-engineer their facilities with depth and strength exceeding the limitations of this conventional weapon. Beyond this, only nuke options are available.
Furthermore, the MOP is designed to be deployed from a B-2. Israel doesn’t have the B-2 or any other heavy bombers.
For Iranian “bunker busting” operations, the F-22 is capable of deploying only lighter more powerful nuclear weapons
Any such complex and large scale operation intended to destroy Iran’s nuke arsenal and both surface and sub-terranean nuke production facilities should be a joint effort with the US. Nuclear Earth Penetrating Weapons are the safest most efficient choice for this objective, but if we must restrict ourselves to the GBU-57A/B conventional MOP, then it should be a USAF aircrew flying a USAF B-2 as the weapon was designed.
Personally, I don’t see how anything Israel is gaining from this deal is worth the strategic consequences of Israeli land concessions and F-35 sales to Muslim actors. If UAE makes the F-35 a deal-breaker, then I would walk. But if it “must” be signed, then of the counter-options presented, the only one that makes sense to me is to sell the F-22 to Israel – not for Iranian conventional bunker busting ops (because it can’t) – but rather to maintain it’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) over UAE, because the F-22 is a slightly better “air superiority” airplane than the F-35.
Westman says
A design was ordered for a bunker buster MOP 1/3 size of the GBU-57A/B. There doesn’t seem to be any information whether the design was actually completed as a physical bomb. It would be around 10,000 pounds which is within the combined 22,000 pound internal and external load of the F-35.
Daniel Triplett says
Right, the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP). That was 10 years ago, and I also don’t know where they are in the development process. The GBU-57A/B MOP is a guided gravity bomb, and it’s so heavy, only a B-2 can deploy it. Also, the fuse on the current MOP detonates the bomb when it comes to a stop, rather than when it senses a void, meaning instead of detonating inside the bunker, it could pass through both walls of the bunker and detonate beyond it, reducing the battle damage yield.
The NGP is 1/3 the size of the GBU-57A/B MOP, making it deployable with a broader range of airframes, such as tactical Fighter/Attack aircraft. It compensates for its reduced explosive yield by using rockets to accelerate it into the Earth at a greater velocity than gravity can, as well as fitting it with a void-sensing fuse to assure its detonation inside the bunker.
But, like you, I don’t know of the progress on this project, nor what its projected battle damage yield will be in comparison to the GBU-57A/B MOP. Sounds like a great innovation though.
James Lincoln says
Daniel Triplett,
A thorough and excellent analysis, my compliments.
Daniel Triplett says
Thanks James