Israel inks deal to get 25 additional F-35 fighter jets from U.S. paid for by American taxpayers

06/10/2024 / By Richard Brown

Israel’s Ministry of Defense has signed a deal with the U.S. to receive 25 additional F-35 fighter jets.

The $3 billion agreement, financed by U.S. military aid to Israel, was recently finalized by an Israeli delegation in the United States. This acquisition will expand the Israeli Air Force’s fleet of Lockheed Martin-built F-35s, allowing the already sizeable force to add a third squadron to its numbers.

Deliveries of the new aircraft will start in 2028, with batches of three to five jets per year, ultimately bringing Israel’s total F-35 fleet to 75. To date, only 36 of the 50 F-35s initially ordered have been delivered.

The deal follows a resolved dispute between Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, who had vetoed the signing pending a review of the defense budget by a committee of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden over Israel’s actions in Gaza, the U.S. continues to provide substantial military support to Tel Aviv. (Related: Israel flattens Gaza’s Jabalia as officials present genocide defense at ICJ.)

The American Friends Service Committee – a Quaker-led peace organization – notes that from October to early March, Washington approved over 100 military sales to Israel, although only two were publicly disclosed.

These weapons were financed through the Foreign Military Sales program and Israel’s defense budget, with additional transfers from U.S. military stockpiles in Israel.

American arms manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics and RTX (formerly Raytheon) have been the primary benefactors from supplying weapons not just to Israel but also to Ukraine.

F-35 lauded as capable fifth-generation fighter

The F-35 is just another fighter jet with fifth-generation features, failing to grasp that it represents a paradigm shift. The F-35 is not merely the last fighter of the industrial age but the first aerial platform of the Information Age.

In numerous U.S. Air Force exercises, the F-35 has consistently demonstrated unparalleled performance in both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles. During the 2017 Red Flag exercise, the F-35 achieved a kill ratio of 15 to one, an unprecedented feat in the U.S. inventory. Its sophisticated sensors and networking capabilities allow it to collect and share targeting information, enhancing the performance of fourth-generation aircraft as well.

Recent conflicts, such as the one in Ukraine, have underscored the evolving role of airpower in the Information Age. In the Project Convergence exercise, designed to showcase sensor-to-shooter connectivity and rapid target engagement, the U.S. Army successfully used data from an F-35’s sensors to direct artillery fire.

The F-35’s stealth and advanced sensors enable it to penetrate hostile air defenses and destroy critical targets while providing essential targeting data to other units across multiple domains.

Despite its sophistication, the F-35 is also cost-effective to operate and maintain. It has repeatedly won fair and open competitions to replace aging fighter fleets in countries like Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Poland, and Finland. These decisions followed comparative evaluations demonstrating the F-35’s superior capabilities and cost-efficiency.

Acquiring the F-35 will save money in the long run. Switzerland’s decision to purchase 36 JSFs followed an exhaustive four-year evaluation.

According to defense aviation analyst John Venable, Swiss evaluators found that the F-35A’s networked systems provided pilots with superior situational awareness and survivability. The F-35A also received high marks for product support, maintenance efficiency, and collaboration potential with other countries.

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Watch this report from Southfront Press discussing how, despite military pressure from multiple fronts and growing international pressure, Israel has decided to double down on its conflict against Palestinians.

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