Egypt’s Meteor Missiles Spark Concerns in Israel: How the Power Balance is Shifting
A state of concern has emerged within Israel, as reported by Hebrew media outlets, following Egypt’s acquisition of long-range air-to-air missiles capable of striking targets on the horizon.
According to the Israeli news site “nziv”, the Egyptian Air Force has received “Meteor” type missiles, which are advanced air-to-air missiles designed to hit targets beyond visual range (BVR).
The site mentioned that during President El-Sisi’s tenure, Egypt acquired the Meteor missile, part of its air combat armament, considered one of the most advanced air-to-air missiles, with a speed exceeding four times the speed of sound and capable of striking targets with high precision.
This type of missile is manufactured in the United States, France, Germany, England, and Spain, with each missile costing one million British pounds.
The Meteor missile, developed by the European company MBDA, aims to provide exceptional
capability in engaging aerial targets under all weather conditions and at long ranges.
Regarding the technical specifications of this missile, the Israeli site nziv states that it is about 3.7
meters long, weighs approximately 190 kg, has a range exceeding 150 km (the exact distance is
classified), and can travel at speeds over 4 Mach (more than 4900 km/h). Its diameter is 178 mm.
The Hebrew site also noted that the Meteor missile is designed for modern air combat, boasting
superiority over most competing missiles like the U.S.-made AIM-120D.
Both the United States and Europe had previously refused to sell such missiles to Egypt to
maintain Israel’s technological edge, which President El-Sisi is now attempting to neutralize.
The Israeli site elaborated that these missiles, still arriving to the Egyptian Air Force, will alter this
air superiority, despite Egypt not possessing stealth fighters like those in Israel’s arsenal. Thus, the Egyptian Air Force needs a game-changing weapon to counterbalance Israel’s advantage.
Furthermore, nziv points out that this Egyptian military development leads to the conclusion that
these missiles aim to narrow the qualitative gap between the Egyptian and Israeli Air Forces,
countries bound by a peace treaty.
To ensure Israeli “superiority”, Egypt was previously barred from obtaining Meteor and AMRAAM
beyond-visual-range missiles for its French Rafale fighters, and Cairo is now negotiating to
acquire Typhoon and F-15 aircraft.
Source: French Ministry of Defense + nziv
