The American-made Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey could be the highlight of ISDEF 2019, homeland security, cyber and defense exhibition that will be held in Israel from the 4 to 6 June 2019. The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities.

The V-22 Osprey could be the highlight of ISDEF 2019, Defense and Security Exhibition that will be held in Tel-Aviv, Israel. (Picture source Army Recognition)

According to some military sources, Israel defense forces continue to show interest for the acquisition of Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. In January 2014, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress January 13 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Israel for V-22B Block C Aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training, and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.13 billion.

In 2017, the Israeli government froze a plan to buy six V-22s, three years after the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of a potential sale of the tiltrotor aircraft to Tel Aviv. But in 2018, Israel has revived the possibility to purchase V-22 Osprey.

In March 2018, the Jerusalem Post has published that Israel will likely decide in the next year or two to purchase the tiltrotor aircraft V-22 Osprey. The Israeli military is modernizing its squadrons of aging fighter jets and helicopters and according to the defense source, the air force has understood that there needs to a be a mix of heavy-lift helicopters and the V-22.

The purchase of the tilt-rotor aircraft would make Israel the second country outside the United States to deploy them after Japan, which bought four V-22 Ospreys in July 2016.

The V-22 Osprey is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. With its rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, it can convert to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight. This combination results in global reach capabilities that allow the V-22 to fill an operational niche, unlike any other aircraft.