F-15 for Egypt, with Israel’s help?

According to local media, Israel is reportedly trying to persuade the US to approve the sale of Boeing´s F-15 air superiority fighters to Egypt.

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As reported by the news media i24news, which in turn cites a report by Walla! News; as part of Jerusalem’s efforts to improve relations between Cairo and Washington, Israel is working to approve the U.S. aircraft deal with Egypt.

Earlier last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, where the three discussed strengthening coordination, prosperity and stability in the region.

The report cites two senior members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) who are said to have corroborated the existence of talks held in recent weeks about the supply of fighter jets to Egypt by the United States.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress have urged the Biden administration over the past year to make military aid to Egypt conditional on Cairo improving its human rights performance.

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There is also concern among some members of Congress about maintaining Israel’s qualitative military advantage over countries in the region.

This news would confirm what was said two weeks ago by the commander of U.S. Central Command, General Frank McKenzie before the Senate Armed Services Committee: «In the case of Egypt, i think we have good news in that we’re going to provide them with F-15s, which was a long, hard slog».

The number and model of F-15 fighters that would be offered to Egypt is unknown at this time, but will likely be a version of the new F-15EX (like the F-15ID offered to Indonesia), optimized for Cairo’s needs, while addressing the security concerns of Israel and the U.S. Congress.