Saudia Arabia, Israel and the F-15

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US will sell 82 F-15Es to Saudi Arabia over objections from Israel. According to the article, standoff weapons were the main issue of concern in Jerusalem. Of course, standoff weapons are only necessary if the aircraft is unable to penetrate defended airspace to release weapons directly over the target. Boeing has designed the F-15SE Silent Eagle precisely for that mission, but the company has been careful to point out that Saudi is not a potential customer for Silent Eagle. The WSJ article about Israel's concerns probably explains why. The irony, of course, is that Israel is a major supplier on the F-15, with the Lahav division of Israel Aerospace Industries providing conformal fuel tanks and vertical stabilizers for all F-15s in service.