Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is reportedly pushing to nix the Israeli counterpart Air Force One, which has been in development for nearly four years.
Lapid, who has long been speaking out against the nearly $300 million plane for the prime minister and president, is now recommending that the plane be sold months before it is commissioned, Ynet news site reported on Monday.
However, the defense establishment strongly opposes Lapid’s position, maintaining that an advanced aircraft such as the one produced is needed to safely transport Israeli heads of state, Ynet reported.
President-elect Isaac Herzog will also have a say in the decision, but has yet to express his opinion.
Ultimately, however, the decision will rest with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
According to the report, the aircraft still needs several months to obtain the necessary permits.
The project has already been delayed several times, most recently last year when then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office ordered the freeze of test flights to prevent the appearance of unnecessary spending in the midst of the pandemic.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on June 29, 2021. (Shlomi Amslem/GPO)
Last February, the Wing of Zion successfully completed a test run, overcoming a major obstacle in the way of being operational.
The aircraft will be kept in a specially constructed hangar at Nevatim airbase and will be guarded round the clock by the guards of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Wing of Zion pilots will be drawn from the squadron’s carrier officers and reservists. According to the report, the futuristic crew has been trained on a simulator and has already got a chance to fly the plane.
According to Israel Aerospace Industries, the aircraft can reach the United States, China, Japan and Brazil without stopping.