Israel will procure a further 17 F-35 stealth fighter, the security cabinet decided unanimously last night. This procurement will increase the number of F-35 fighters in the Israel Air Force to 50, as initially planned when purchases began from US company Lockheed Martin. In August, Israel's Ministry of Defense reached understandings with the US Department of Defense regarding the procurement of the combat aircraft.
The 33 F-35 aircraft purchased to date will be delivered to Israel by 2021, including one that will be a trial F-35 plane on which systems and weapons will be developed for the advanced Israel version of the stealth which will be known as the "Adir." The first two F-35s will be delivered to Israel on December 12, flown in by US pilots.
Israel decided to procure the advanced fighter aircraft in September 2010. The first procurement agreement included 19 aircraft costing $2.7 billion. As reported, the first two F-35s will arrive next month with the remaining aircraft being delivered over the next two years. In 2011, understandings were signed between Jerusalem and Washington in which the US administration agreed to give Israel options to buy up to 75 F-35 aircraft - three squadrons in total. To date, Israel has procured 33 F-35s, with the government deciding to buy an additional 14 aircraft in November 2014, to add to the initial 19.
A colonel has already been appointed to head the first Israel Air Force F-35 squadron and five Israeli combat pilots have been attached to the future squadron. This crew will undergo special training in the US and they will train up the remaining members appointed to the first squadron. In contrast to the other combat aircraft in the service of the Israeli Air Force, which are two seat jets, the Adir has only one seat, denying the pilot the luxury of flying with a navigator/co-pilot.
More than 180 pilots and 1,900 maintenance staff have undergone from six countries have undergone training for the F-35. The F-35A training center at the Luke air force base in the US was completed in May 2015 and in the future it will house six US Air Force squadrons totaling 144 F-35s.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 28, 2016
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