The fast-changing situation in the world affects the export of advanced weapon systems, mainly by the US. The shockwaves then begin to hit far-away countries.
Old friends are no longer so close. New friends emerge from surprising places and situations.
Add to this the fact that the US is wrapping up the fighting in Iraq, and you get a totally new world market for advanced weapon systems. The segment that will experience the main changes is the one that is related to unmanned air systems (UAS).
If, so far, Washington has refrained from using its "marketing skills" to sell the different UAS to some countries, this is changing very fast. The US is no longer indifferent to the sale of UAS by countries such as Israel to customers such as India and South Korea. More than that - it even angers some officials working in the Pentagon.
The forecast shared by people close to the industry in Israel is that Washington will approve the sale of advanced UAS to some countries that so far were almost captive potential customers of the Israeli manufacturers.
This is of course a cause for concern, and a trigger for creating joint ventures with companies in the US. This in an effort to cause at least part of the acquisition budgets to find their way to Israel.
The US has been very strict about selling long-range platforms to some countries, but that is also changing in the form of "tailored" versions that are in compliance with the regulations of the missile technology control regime (MTCR), which has been modified to include long-endurance/long-range UAS.
So the competition for new clients is getting to a new peak, with the US taking part in each race for a contract.
Changing world, changing markets, new joint ventures, a new world, or history repeating itself?
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