Peace through superior air power

The State of Israel is now flying a state-of the-art Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircraft that in some ways is superior to the Boeing E-3's flown by the US Air Force. The new aircraft, based on a Gulfstream G-550 platform, is called the Eitam which means "Sea Eagle" in Hebrew. Israeli officials marked the arrival ofthe first aircraft at a ceremony attended by numerous US and Israeli dignitaries Sept. 19 at Lod Air Force Base near Ben-Gurion Airport in TelAviv. This is the first of three aircraft scheduled to be delivered over the next three years.