After years of hot negotiations between the US and Israel for the “small print” of the purchase of the F-35 fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the Letter of Offer and Acceptance has been signed in New York.
Issues such as pricing, industrial participation in the production as well as the integration of indigenous capabilities into the weapon system delayed Israel’s final decision in favour of the F-35.
However, all these issues appear to have been settled and Israel has agreed to buy a first batch of about 20 aircraft, each worth approximately US$96 million, with an option to order more aircraft at a later time.
Ehud Shani, director general of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, said during the ceremony held in New York that the signing represented “an historic event and a new era in Israel’s military might in the face of challenges both near and far”.
According to Reuters, Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the US, stated that the F-35 would boost Israel’s ability to defend itself, “by itself, against any threat or combination of threats, from anywhere within the Middle East”.
This statement clearly hints at Israel’s current major antagonist in the region, Iran.
The F-35 would provide Israel with a significant asset in any strike against Iran and its controversial nuclear program.
Israel will be the first country to receive the F-35 through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, and the first F-35 customer outside the Joint Strike Fighter’s nine-nation codevelopment group.
According to Israeli and US Air Force officials, the aircraft are scheduled to be built and delivered to Israel between 2015 and 2017.