Defense Industry of Israel would like to export Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technology to China 3112132

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Defence & Security News - Israel
 
 
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 09:08 AM
 
Defense Industry of Israel would like to export Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technology to China.
Israeli defense and technology firms have been lobbying the government to ease restrictions on their exports to China, TheMarker has learned from industry sources. According to the source, the manufacturers have the support of the Prime Minister’s Office as well as the economy and foreign ministries, which want to expand exports to and joint ventures with China.
     

Israel is a global leader in comprehensive UAV-based solutions as the Heron.
     

One source in the defense industry, who asked not be identified, said manufacturers are pushing for a more liberal policy in light of “the increasing difficulty of selling to Israel’s Defense Ministry and the exchange rate, which is eroding the profitability of exports.”

One of the changes proposed by the industry and its supporters would be to allow the sale of older technologies to China, for example, last-generation UAVs, since Beijing could just as easily acquire them from other countries.

Israel's high-tech defense industry leads the world in exporting unmanned aerial vehicles, a new study says, while UAV designers are reported to be moving toward developing drones so advanced they could replace manned aircraft.

Israel, which pioneered UAV technology in the 1970s, has steadily cultivated military and intelligence links with the former Soviet republic, Iran's northern neighbor, and has become a key arms supplier to the oil-rich Caspian state.

Israeli military exports were $7.5 billion in 2012; the Asia-Pacific region was the biggest market. But at the behest of the U.S. government there are tight restrictions on the sale of defense and dual-use technology to China and other countries. Companies must first receive approval from the Defense Ministry’s Defense Export Controls Agency, whose staff includes representatives from the foreign and economy ministries.