Can More Advanced Helicopters Help Israel Confront Iran? – Analysis

By Seth J. Frantzman 

Seth J. Frantzman is Senior Middle East Correspondent and Middle East affairs analyst at The Jerusalem Post. He has covered the war against Islamic State, three Gaza wars, the conflict in Ukraine, the refugee crises in Eastern Europe and also reported from Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Senegal, the UAE, Ukraine and Russia.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted drills over the Mediterranean this week. These were designed to simulate long-range flights and the striking of distant targets, the IDF said. “Dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft simulated a long-range flight, aerial refueling and striking distant targets.” The drill is part of the Chariots of Fire exercise, which is the biggest in decades and addresses “preparations for multi-arena combat scenarios both near and far.”

A central challenge for Israel facing any conflict with Iran or its proxies is that it could be a multi-front war. The major drills over the last month seem to be a nod to this new dilemma. US Central Command officials have been to Israel and observed some elements of the drills, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz has gone to the US. Meanwhile, Israel also sent forces to Cyprus this week to simulate a conflict with Hezbollah or a Hezbollah-like force.

But there is an elephant in the room in all this training. Israel has been slow in procuring the systems it may need to fight a multi-front war. While it is leading in air defenses, including new lasers that the prime minister heralded this week, the Jewish state needs more refuelers and helicopters to replace aging platforms.

In Cyprus, Israel did simulate evacuating wounded troops by helicopter and also delivering equipment via transport squadrons, so helicopters are part of the drill. Yet some of Israel’s are aging and new ones will take time to arrive.

Meanwhile, Israel appears to have fumbled in 2015 when it came close to acquiring the V-22 Osprey helicopter that fits well into the needs of inserting commandos on raids far from home. The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that this key helicopter, which uses a tiltrotor, was ideal for Israel’s needs.

ISRAEL’S CURRENT stable of helicopters should have been bolstered years ago through purchases of advanced helicopters from the US. Israel has an aging fleet of CH-53 Sikorskys, called Yasurs in Israel. Some of these date from the late 1960s, although they have been updated since then. The fleet of Yasurs was grounded briefly in 2019 after a crash.