The United States delivers 3 more F-35 fighters to Israel
The new fighters arriving in Israel yesterday will join the 33 F-35s already delivered by US defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
Israel received three new F-35 fighters from the United States.
Three F-35i “Adir” stealth fighter bombers landed yesterday at Nevatim Air Base in the Negev. This was announced by the Israel Defense Forces, with a post on Twitter . The planes will become part of the “Golden Eagle” squadron and will take part in the operational activities of the Air Force starting in the coming weeks. With the arrival of the last three aircraft, the fleet of F-35s supplied to Israel rises to 36 aircraft.
Last week, two Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-35 "Adir" fighters escorted two American B-52 bombers over Israeli airspace on their way back from the Persian Gulf, the spokesman's unit said on November 10. of the IDF. "The flight took place as part of growing cooperation with the US military, which is a significant component of the national security of the State of Israel, maintaining regional stability and countering regional threats," the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement. Note.
"An apparent show of strength towards Iran amid the tensions in the region," the Times of Israel commented.
All the details.
THE F-35 OF ISRAEL
As The Jerusalem Post recalls, Israel was the first country to purchase the F-35 as part of a foreign military sale with the United States in October 2010. The aircraft became operational in the Israeli Air Force in December 2017 and since then it is in full operational service.
The F-35i “Adir” model has been modified only for Israel, allowing the Jewish state to integrate its own electronic warfare systems, including sensors and countermeasures.
By 2024, Israel is expected to receive another 14 fifth-generation fighter-bombers manufactured by US-based Lockheed Martin to bring the total number to 50. Last year's media reports revealed that Israel would seek to purchase another 25 aircraft.
USED TO KILL IRANIAN DRONES
Finally, Israel used F-35i Adir fighters to shoot down two Iranian drones, the Israeli defense forces declared last March. Although the wiretapping took place last year, Israel only revealed the whole story on March 7, Defense News reports.
“In March 2021, the Iranian regime launched two UAVs towards Israeli territory. The UAVs were successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force's F-35i “Adir” aircraft. This was the first operational interception of a UAV by an F-35i aircraft in the world, ”the IDF said. “The interception was successfully carried out by F-35i 'Adir' aircraft (of the 116th and 140th Squadrons). The F-35i “Adir” has demonstrated the ability to detect, identify and engage a target quickly and accurately ”.
Israel argued that the interception occurred before UAVs could enter Israeli airspace. This means that they were shot down in the airspace of at least one other country, although Israel has not identified which one it could be. Notably, Iran flew drones from Syria into Israeli airspace earlier in February 2018 and May 2021, Defense News noted.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/gli-stati-uniti-consegnano-altri-3-caccia-f-35-a-israele/ on Mon, 14 Nov 2022 13:12:46 +0000.