Monday, 28 November 2016

Israel to purchase 17 more stealth fighters at cost of $1.5b


By HERB KEINON \11/27/2016 21:56
The first two of the state-of-the-art fighters are scheduled to arrive on December 12.
day unanimously approved the purchase of an additional 17 F-35 aircraft from the US, bringing to 50 the number of stealth fighters purchased by Israel at a cost of about $85 million each.

The additional planes will be purchased from the military assistance Israel will get from the US as part of the $38 billion 10-year 
Memorandum of Understanding signed with the administration in September. 

Israel is expected to have two squadrons of F-35s by early next decade, with each squadron being made up of 25 planes. A third squadron of another 25 planes may be purchased a later date.

The first two of the state-of-the-art fighters are scheduled to arrive on December 12 at the Nevatim air force base near Beersheba.

In July, at a rollout ceremony of the first plane at a Lockheed-Martin plant in Fort Worth,Texas, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said the fighter “is the most advanced in the world, and is the best selection by defense chiefs for safeguarding Israel’s aerial superiority.”

Starting in 2017, Israel is expected to receive the F-35's at the rate of six to seven each year. Israel will be the first country outside of the US to receive the plane.

Original post: jpost.com

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