Israel to buy F-35
Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave final approval on Sunday for Israel to submit a relatively small order for 20 F-35 joint strike fighters. The cost of the deal is approximately $2.75 billion and the first jet will be delivered in 2015. While the Pentagon has approved an Israeli request to purchase 75 aircraft, Israel plans – at the initial stage – to only buy around 20 JSFs. The deal is estimated to cost $2.75 billion. Barak will take the deal to the cabinet for final approval.Note that there is apparently a compromise about the use of Israeli technology, an issue I have discussed many times. In the first order, there will be no Israeli technology, but in subsequent orders, Israeli technology will be integrated.
Two main obstacles have impeded Israeli procurement plans until now – the price of the aircraft, likely to reach just over $140 million, as well as US opposition to the integration of Israeli-designed technical systems into the plane.
Due to the high price of the aircraft, Israel will buy a first batch configured like the standard US version. The initial planes will begin arriving in Israel towards the end of 2015.
The second batch of the aircraft, likely to arrive in the second half of the decade, will be designed according to Israeli specifications and include Israeli-made systems.
One of the Israeli Air Force’s main motivations for becoming the first foreign customer to receive the aircraft is concern that other countries in the region – particularly Egypt and Saudi Arabia - will be allowed to purchase the aircraft.
Israel, for example, was the first country outside of the US to purchase F-15s but Saudi Arabia now operates a significant number of F-15s and is in talks with the Pentagon regarding the potential sale of an additional 84.
While the Saudi interest in the plane is understood as having more to do with the Kingdom’s concern regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Israel is also concerned with increasing Saudi air power and raised the issue with the US in recent meetings in Tel Aviv and Washington DC.
I trust this also means that the F-15 Silent Eagle is off the table.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:13 PM
2 Comments:
It is me or is second dhimmi Jew Barak being dense? For the amount of money spent on buying the F-35, Israel could build a lot of revived Lavi jets for the export market - and the earliest the plane can be delivered to Israel is 2015. The Lavi could be built much faster.
since many Europeans are bailing out, it´s an excellent chance to get this thing reasonably priced
Post a Comment
<< Home