IAI lost 2 deals to to sell unmanned planes to Australia and Belgium totaling over $ 1.2 billion

IAI lost two giant deals totaling over $ 1.2 billion in two weeks to sell unmanned aircraft systems to Australia and Belgium. In both countries, IAI lost to General Atomix, which will sell the MQ-9, the Riper M-9, to its air force.
IAI has tried to sell its flagship Heron TP to the two countries, the kind it undertook to supply to Germany in the huge deal signed last summer, worth about one billion euros. "The decisions made in Australia and Belgium are unpleasant, to put it mildly, for IAI. In addition to the large amount of money in these transactions, which is always necessary for IAI, it is a foothold for future deals in those countries, since buying UAVs from a certain company probably purchases additional services, extensions, upgrades or other products that will have an interface with the systems The air force, "a security source told" Globes ".
The acquisition of the new UAV by the Australian Air Force has been estimated by more than $ 1 billion in Belgium and $ 230 million in contracts for a period of at least a decade, "In two countries, IAI approached these procedures as an underdog, especially in Australia, where the authorities preferred General Atomix and did not want to conduct a competitive process. IAI fought this issue only so that it could put a price table on the table that could compete with General Atomix. "
Security sources said at the end of the week that despite efforts by IAI, the Australian Defense Ministry preferred the entire process that has been carried out in recent years by UAVs offered by the American manufacturer. This is part of the rejection of IAI's requests to conduct a competitive process in this matter.
Until about two years ago IAI leased unmanned aerial vehicles to Australia, and it operated them, among other things, as part of its participation in the fighting in Afghanistan.
A few days before IAI discovered that its chances of advancing the giant deal in Australia were lost, the Belgian army also decided to purchase its future UAVs from American giant General Atomix. According to estimates, this is a procurement plan worth about $ 230 million, in which Belgians will be equipped with four unmanned aircraft and related operating systems. "These two countries are very important in terms of IAI's market and no one devalues ​​them," said a security source.