Why Israel Wants More F-35 Stealth Fighters from America

The Israeli Air Force could be one of the larger operators of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II after the United States military in the coming years, as the Middle Eastern nation’s ministerial committee approved the procurement of an additional 25 Joint Strike Fighters. The Israel Defense Forces also reportedly plan to purchase another squadron of upgraded Boeing’s F-15s as well additional KC-46 refueling aircraft and various munitions.

“A ministerial procurement committee has approved the purchase of a new F-35 squadron, four new refueling planes, and a large quantity of munitions,” a ministerial committee official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The purchase of the Boeing KC-46 has been deemed an urgent matter, as Israel has been considering the purchase for some time. In addition, the ministerial committee also approved the purchase of precise offensive armaments for the air force, as well an array of interceptor missiles for its defense systems, including the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3, along with an upgrade of these systems’ detection capabilities, Haaretz reported.

While this marks the first Foreign Military Sale to Israel under the administration of President Joe Biden, it is likely the deal began under the Trump administration as it takes many months for all the details to be ironed out. Jerusalem may have approved the purchase, but the U.S. Congress will still need to be notified of such a major weapons sale before a contract can be signed.

However, it is unlikely such a deal to a U.S. ally would be delayed – even as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki refused to confirm that the Biden administration still considers Israel an important ally.

The new administration has temporarily paused some pending armed sales to other U.S. allies and partners in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in order to review them. The sale of the fifth-generation F-35 to the UAE was approved by the Trump administration following the Arab state’s formal recognition of Israel last year.

   

Capt. Andrew “Dojo” Olson, F-35 Heritage Flight Team pilot and commander, performs a vertical climb in a Lockheed Martin F-35A “Lightning II” during the Bell Fort Worth Alliance Air Show Oct. 14, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. The Lockheed Martin F-35A “Lightning II’s” F-135 single-engine contains 43,000 pounds of thrust.

Israel has been the only operator of the advanced stealth aircraft in the Middle East, and has two squadrons that are equipped with the F-35I Adir (meaning “Mighty One” in Hebrew), a specially modified “Israeli only” version of the Lightning II. Last summer, 116 Lions of the South Squadron, which is based at Nevatim Air Base, became the second unit in the Israeli Air Force to receive the fighter.

The F-35I models are broadly equivalent to the F-35A, but incorporate Israeli-made technology and weapons. In December 2016, Israel became the third country to receive its own F-35s. Israel was the first country to use the F-35 in combat in early 2018, just months after the stealth fighter was declared operational. While Israel’s military did not confirm where the aircraft had its baptism of fire, it was believed to have occurred near or over Syria.

Related Posts

Understanding the WWII ɩeɡасу of the Soviet K-7 Heavy ЬomЬeг

The Soviet Heavy ЬomЬeг K-7 was a remarkable aircraft built in Russia during the 1930s. It was designed Ƅy Konstantin Kalinin, an amƄitious engineer and aircraft designer,…

Russia’s New PAK DA Stealth ЬomЬeг Will Have Hypersonic weарoпѕ Mounted on It

Last month, the United States Air foгсe released a new artist rendering of its still-in-development B-21 Raider. The latest images of the heavy ЬomЬeг саme after it was announced in June that…

To allow the enormous A400M to launch vertically, Airbus made a $1 billion investment.

The A400 was never intended for verticle capability. It was designed to have short field takeoff and landing. It is a very capable aircraft. JATO has not…

The Gatling ɡᴜп on the MiG-27’s jаw-dropping рoweг аɡаіпѕt eпemу aircraft

The two-meter long cannon generated a remarkable 6 tons of recoil, causing vibrations ѕtгoпɡ enough to сгасk fuel tanks, dаmаɡe avionics systems, and consistently dіѕɩodɡe landing lights…

For MQ-9 training, ASTi will provide 27 Simulated Environments for Realistic ATC (SERA).

ASTi 𝚛𝚎c𝚎ntl𝚢 𝚛𝚎c𝚎iv𝚎𝚍 𝚊 c𝚘nt𝚛𝚊ct 𝚊w𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘m SAIC 𝚏𝚘𝚛 27 inst𝚊nc𝚎s 𝚘𝚏 its in𝚍𝚞st𝚛𝚢-l𝚎𝚊𝚍in𝚐 Sim𝚞l𝚊t𝚎𝚍 Envi𝚛𝚘nm𝚎nt 𝚏𝚘𝚛 R𝚎𝚊listic ATC (SERA) 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞ct. In 𝚊 n𝚞ts𝚑𝚎ll, SERA 𝚙𝚛𝚘vi𝚍𝚎s 𝚊𝚞t𝚘m𝚊t𝚎𝚍,…

The F-15 Eagle: The Best fіɡһteг in History: Unveiling Its ѕᴜргemасу

The McDoппell Doυglas F-15 Eagle staпds as a twiп-eпgiпe fіɡһteг aircraft that has faithfυlly served the US Air foгсe for пυmeroυs decades. Siпce its iпtrodυctioп iп 1976,…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *