Israel formally asks US for 25 F-35s

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant sent an official request to the United States for the supply of a third squadron of F-35 aircraft, writes The Jerusalem Post.

A request for the delivery of 25 aircraft to Israel was also addressed to the bomber manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. The total number of F-25s in the park of the republic, according to the newspaper, will thus grow to 75.

Israel approved the decision to purchase additional aircraft in July. The ministry’s statement sent on September 3 did not specify delivery dates, but Jerusalem Post sources said earlier that if an application is made this year, Israel will only be able to receive the aircraft by 2026-2027. It is noted that the official request will contribute to the “approval and signing of the deal in the coming months.” Its cost is estimated at $3 billion, and funding is provided by American funds.

The purchase of aircraft, the newspaper writes, could have happened a few years ago. The delays are due to “political instability due to multiple rounds of elections” that have affected Israel’s ability to make long-term budget plans, including on defense issues.

As part of an initial agreement between governments, Lockheed Martin and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney pledged to involve the Israeli defense industry in the production of aircraft components.

Israel, as Reuters wrote earlier, became the first country outside the United States to acquire the F-35. In May 2018, the air force commander said that Israel was the first to use this aircraft in combat.

In 2016, US President Donald Trump criticized the fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bomber program as too expensive. Trump made such a statement on the day when US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was in Israel on the occasion of the delivery of the first two F-35s there. Shortly before Trump was elected President of the United States, the Pentagon agreed to purchase the ninth series of 57 F-35s for $6.1 billion.