6/16/2017 WATCH: Three more F-35 fighter jets touch down in Israel | The Times of Israel

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL | www.timesofisrael.com

Three more F-35 fighter jets

touch down in Israel
Sundays acquisition brings total number of Adir stealth aircraft up to
five, out of 50 ordered by IAF
BY JUDAH ARI GROSS AND AFP April 23, 2017, 8:08 pm

T
hree F-35 stealth fighter jets touched down at the Nevatim Air Force base in southern
Israel on Sunday, joining the two that arrived late last year.

In total, Israel has agreed to purchase 50 of the fifth generation stealth aircraft, known in Israel
as the Adir, or mighty one.

Israel is the first country outside the United States to receive the state-of-the-art fighter jet,
which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

The jets are flown by American pilots to Israel. Upon landing, they officially become the
property of the Israeli government.

The state-of-the-art F-35 is poised to become a central pillar of Israels air strategy, a senior air
force official told reporters last November. The stealth fighter is considered one of the most
advanced aircraft in the world, capable of taking on most missile defense batteries, including
the Russian S-300, which was recently acquired by Iran, and which has been used in Syria,
where Israeli planes reportedly fly sorties.

The first of these landed in Israel last December.

There were no high-ranking officials to greet the incoming fighter jets on Sunday, unlike when
the first two F-35s landed. That reception ceremony was presided over by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and then-
US secretary of defense Ashton Carter.

Over the coming years, the remaining 45 planes will make their way to Israel a handful every
few months.

According to IAF officials, it will take months but likely less than a year before the aircraft
is declared combat operational, as the pilots and maintenance teams put the jet through its
paces.

Israeli components will be integrated in the aircraft, which will be known as the F-35I.

Among its main features are advanced stealth capabilities to help pilots evade sophisticated
missile systems.

The single-pilot jets can carry an array of weapons and travel at a supersonic speed of Mach
1.6, or around 1,900 kilometers per hour (1,200 miles per hour).

A pilots ultra-high-tech helmet, at a cost of some $400,000 each, includes its own operating
system, with data that appears on the visor and is also shared elsewhere.

Thermal and night vision as well as 360-degree views are possible with cameras mounted on
the plane.

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6/16/2017 WATCH: Three more F-35 fighter jets touch down in Israel | The Times of Israel
Once servicing and maintenance costs are factored in over the aircrafts lifespan through 2070,
overall program costs are expected to soar to $1.5 trillion.

Israel is buying its first 33 F-35s at an average price of about $110 million (NIS 400 million)
each, though the rest are expected to be slightly cheaper.

US President Donald Trump has publicly has upbraided Lockheed over out of control costs of
the plane. It is the most expensive weapons program in history.

The company has said it will bring down the price in the future, as its production costs are
expected to go down.

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