November 3, 2007:
The Israeli
Air Force thought it had a sweet plan for replacing its aging CM-170 basic
pilot trainers. An Israeli company was developing a lightweight (3.5 ton) jet
trainer, and was going to compete with foreign (especially American) trainers
to replace the 1960s era CM-170s. But the Israeli trainer, the Javelin VLJ,
fell behind schedule. In response, the Israeli manufacturer offered to help
keep the CM-170s airworthy until the Javelin VLJ was ready. That was not a good
option, as most other air forces stopped using their CM-170s over a decade ago,
and the Israeli CM-170s were worn out. Now it appears that the American T-6,
which is used as a primary trainer by the U.S. Air Force, will get the
contract. Timing is everything in life.