Aircraft
Vietnam Buys More Defense Equipment from Israel
A second batch of Spyder air defense missiles has arrived, and Vietnam could be Elbit’s customer for a major Mi-17 helicopter upgrade.
Elbit Systems won a contract to work on India’s Mi-17s, and a much larger one to upgrade Mi-17s for an “Asia-Pacific country.” (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)
Elbit Systems won a contract to work on India’s Mi-17s, and a much larger one to upgrade Mi-17s for an “Asia-Pacific country.” (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)

Vietnam took delivery last month of a second batch of Rafael Python and Derby (SPYDER) surface-to-air missiles. The first batch was delivered last July, but that was not the first time the communist state had sourced defense equipment from Israel. And Vietnam could be the customer for a $110 million upgrade of Mil Mi-17 helicopters that Elbit Systems has recently secured from “an Asia-Pacific country.”