In December 2016, the Israeli Air Force [IAF – Israeli Air Force] received its first two F-35I “Adir” fighter-bombers out of fifty ordered from American manufacturer Lockheed-Martin. 36 examples are currently in service, some of which have been used in missions over Lebanon and Syria.
As a reminder, the Israeli F-35Is are equipped with their own electronic warfare systems developed by Elbit Systems. In order to give them the necessary autonomy for possible attacks on Iran’s nuclear program, they have certain external armor at their disposal, which really shouldn’t weaken their cover.
However, in 2020, the Israeli General Staff expressed the need for 25 additional F-35Is to equip a third squadron and 25 F-15EX “Eagle II” air superiority aircraft. [encore appelés « F-15IA Ra’am II » dans la nomenclature israélienne].
The political instability, marked by repeated early parliamentary elections, did not allow these two issues to advance quickly …
However, in February last year, an agreement was finally reached to purchase 25 F-15IA Ra’am IIs. This announcement came as Iran planned to procure about twenty Su-35 Flanker E multirole fighter jets as part of its military cooperation with Russia.
As for the purchase of the 25 additional F-35Is, a new step has just been taken. In fact, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on July 2 that he had agreed to IDF Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi’s recommendation to form a third squadron with the type of aircraft, estimated to cost $3 billion. This is largely funded through the US Foreign Military Funding Program [FMF]. For Israel, the amount of this aid is $38 billion for the period 2019-2028.
“Lockheed-Martin and the engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney have agreed to involve Israeli defense companies in the production of aircraft components,” the Israeli Defense Ministry said.
However, the order is not yet complete, as it must be the subject of an official application letter [LoR – Letter of Request] to the F-35 Joint Program Office [JPO] of the Pentagon. This is the first step in the process of selling foreign military equipment. Only after this formality are the details of the number of devices and the price negotiated.