The World - News from May 21, 1987

The Israeli armed forces joined the United States in calling for the government to scrap its multibillion-dollar Lavi warplane project because of feared strains on the defense budget, Israel’s state radio said. At a special session of the Israeli Cabinet, military officials came out in favor of ending the project, which has cost $1.3 billion so far. The Lavi, which made its maiden flight last December, is designed to be Israel’s attack aircraft for the 1990s and is equipped with Israeli-designed avionics. The Pentagon estimates each Lavi will cost $22.1 million--money Washington says could be put to better use. While some Israeli ministers agree about the money, others say that thousands of jobs would be affected if the Lavi were scuttled.