Posted on 09/03/23
| News Source: JPost
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday submitted an official Letter of Request (LOR) to the US and to Lockheed Martin for the purchase of a third squadron of 25 F-35 aircraft, which will eventually bring Israel’s total complement to 75 aircraft.
The LOR was submitted to the US's Joint Program Office (JPO) after an announcement on July 2 that Israel had internally approved seeking the additional 25 F-35 aircraft and would now start working on eventually submitting an LOR, culminating in Sunday's announcement.
“We are proud to support the Israeli Defense Forces in providing the F-35, and honored that the Israeli government has announced its intent to purchase additional F-35s”
Joshua Shani, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin Israel
A statement from the ministry did not give a timeline, but sources have previously indicated to the Jerusalem Post that even if Israel would formally order this third round next 25 aircraft sometime in 2023, it may take until 2026-2027 for the deliveries to come through.
The F-35 is considered crucial in the MABAM “war between wars” against Iranian proxies in Syria as well as in the event that the IDf would need to eventually strike Iran’s nuclear program.
It has stealth technology which makes it more able to strike targets throughout the Middle East with impunity and its surveillance and intelligence capabilities far exceed Israel’s older F-16 and F-15 aircraft.