Vietnam Eyes Purchase of Israeli Air-defense System

22 Agustus 2022

Barak 8 SAM could reach 70 km target (MR), 100 km target (LR), 150km target (ER) (photo : Defense Update)

A high-ranking delegation from Vietnam’s Defense Ministry is due to visit Israel in September as guests of Israel Aerospace Industries to advance the half-billion-dollar purchase of three of the defense firm’s Barak 8 missile defense systems. The delegation is to be headed by the deputy commander of Vietnam’s air force as well as the head of the country’s air defenses.

Vietnam’s interest in IAI’s Barak system is troubling news for another Israeli defense company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. In 2015, Vietnam purchased Rafael’s Spyder air-defense system for $600 million, making for the largest-ever military deal between the two countries.

Rafael has recently been in talks with the Vietnamese air force in an effort to convince Hanoi to buy three more Spyder systems, but according to Vietnamese industry sources, Hanoi has been unhappy with Rafael and decided to give priority to IAI.

In recent years, the Israeli Defense Ministry has tried to coordinate overseas sales by Israeli defense contractors so that they don’t compete with one another in the same countries, but attempts to share development and production activity have not always been successful.

Both Rafael and IAI develop missile technology and compete against one another, and Elbit Systems, IAI – and recently, Rafael as well – compete in the field of drone technology. In the past, one Israeli company conducted a smear campaign in another country against a domestic competitor. Neither of them landed the contract.

IAI’s Barak 8 system is designed to protect against a range of threats, including airplanes, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles. It can be deployed on land or at sea and was developed jointly by IAI and India, paving the way for the 2017 signing of a $1.6 billion contract – the largest of its kind between Jerusalem and New Delhi – to supply the system to the latter.

During the Vietnamese delegation’s trip to Israel next month, the visitors are set to meet with the head of the Israel Air Force, the commander responsible for the country’s air defenses and senior Defense Ministry officials.

See full article Haaretz