On Tuesday Israel said it signed a $3 billion deal to purchase a third squadron of 25 advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin, with the delivery to start in 2028.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement announcing the deal, ‘At time when some of our adversaries aim to undermine our ties with our greatest ally, we only strengthen our alliance’.
Gallant said this sends a powerful message to our enemies across the region. ‘The deal would bring to 75 the number of F-35s in Israel’s fleet’, said the defence ministry.
‘The delivery of the aircrafts to the IDF army will commence in 2028 at a rate of three to five aircrafts per year’, said the ministry in a statement.
However, Israel is the only Middle East country with F-35s, the world’s most advanced fighter which is capable and can be used to collect intelligence, strike deep into enemy territory and engage in air duels.
In May 2018, Israel’s military said it had become the first country to use F-35s in combat. Notably, in April, Iran carried out its first direct attack on Israel using more than 300 drones and missiles as the war with Hamas in Gaza raged.
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