ISRAEL IS to buy 20 F-35 stealth fighter jets from the US, in a move aimed at maintaining the country’s “qualitative edge” for years to come.
Israel’s approval of the $2.75 billion (€2.15 billion) deal came after years of tough negotiations and American resistance to Israel installing its own systems in the aircraft.
The Lockheed Martin F-35, considered the last word in aviation technology, is capable of penetrating air-defence systems and avoiding detection by radar.
“The F-35 will provide Israel with continued air superiority and help retain its qualitative military edge in the region,” Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak said.
“The plane will provide the air force with improved capabilities in ensuring Israel’s security when operating near and far away.”
The most expensive defence procurement in the country’s history has established Israel as the first foreign country to sign an agreement to buy the single-seat, single-engine, F-35 Joint Strike fighter, outside the eight international partners that helped to develop the plane.
The first F-35 is expected to arrive in Israel in 2015, although Israeli pilots will get a chance to fly it beforehand. In the past, Israel has been the first Middle East country to purchase state-of-the- art American combat jets but a few years later, the same aircraft have been sold to Arab states.
Israeli defence officials believe that other regional states, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, will also, eventually, be granted Pentagon permission to buy the F-35.
Although Washington resisted the installation of Israeli systems for the first batch of planes to be delivered, there is agreement to put in $4 billion worth of Israeli systems in future deliveries.
The astronomical cost of the plane led to some opposition to the deal within Israeli defence circles. The official cost of each plane is $96 million, but if locally-manufactured parts, simulators on Israeli air force bases, and repair and maintenance costs are also factored, the actual cost of each plane could be closer to $140 million.
Concern was expressed that by the time the first F-35s arrive in five years time, much of the technology could be out of date.
Some Israeli experts also criticised the F-35 as the world’s “last manned fighter”, arguing such vast sums could be better spent developing pilotless drone technology, where Israel is already a world leader.