First 2 super-advanced F-35 jets to land in Israel Monday
Defense Minister Liberman praises US counterpart Carter, who is slated to attend ceremonial flyover and touchdown at southern air base
The Israel Air Force will receive its first two F-35 stealth fighter jets on Monday afternoon as the high-tech planes touch down at Nevatim Air Base in southern Israel, marking what is seen as a significant step up in Israel’s air power.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman are to be joined by US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and top defense officials on the tarmac to greet the planes, considered the most advanced fighting machines in the world.
Carter will attend the reception ceremony as part of a trip to Asia, Europe and the Middle East, the Pentagon said last week. Israel is the first foreign country to receive the planes, and has agreed to purchase 50 of the NIS 380 million ($100 million) jets from Lockheed Martin.
Ahead of the ceremony Liberman said the planes, known in Hebrew as the “Adir,” meaning mighty or great, will be another element in preserving Israel’s regional air superiority.
“A strong air force means a strong IDF and a strong IDF means and strong state of Israel and a strong people of Israel,” Liberman said in a statement and noted the symbolism in the arrival of the planes coming as Carter is expected to end his term in office.
“Carter, like the entire American people is a mighty friend of Israel,” he said.
The state-of-the-art F-35 is poised to become a central pillar of Israel’s air strategy, a senior air force official told reporters last month. 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 have recently reportedly flown sorties.
With its advanced stealth capabilities, the plane “lets you operate in these kinds of environments,” the officer said. “I’m not saying the S-300 will look for the F-35 and see nothing, but we will have a strong and effective tool in our hands.”
The purchase of the planes is possible, in part, due to the billions of dollars in defense aid given by the United States to Israel each year, a large portion of which must go to buy US manufactured arms.
The two planes, flown by American pilots, will perform a flyover the crowd and and then land, after which the jets will be ceremoniously adorned with IAF markings to symbolically mark the start of their service.
The stealth fighters set out from one of the company’s Texas locations last week, making stops in the Azores and in Italy over the weekend before setting out for Israel on Monday morning.
Israeli pilots have been training for months in the US to learn how to fly the plane. Those chosen to fly the first F-35 squadron of eight planes will be experienced pilots drawn from other squadrons and not newly trained pilots flying their first jets.
The other six planes of the first squadron are expected to arive in the coming months.
The single-pilot jets can carry an array of weapons and travel at a supersonic speed of Mach 1.6, or around 1,200 miles per hour (around 1,900 kilometers per hour).
Among their main features are advanced stealth capabilities to help pilots evade sophisticated missile systems.
The pilot’s ultra high-tech helmet, at a cost of some $400,000 each, was designed partially by Israeli defense firm Elbit and comes with thermal and night vision as well as 360-degree views, made possible with cameras mounted on the plane.
“I think we don’t fully understand the big advantage of the F-35,” an Israeli air force official said. “I think it’s going to be learned in the next few months, maybe years. I think it’s a very super-tech airplane.”
Air Force Brig. Gen. Nir Barkan said the Israeli pilots will need to learn to fly in English, the language used in the plane’s systems, the Walla News site reported Monday.
“In the past we flew in Hebrew for rules and guidelines, and here for the first time we are flying in the English language. The equipment and flight material in the cockpit will be in English,” he said.
The planes, designed for multiple combat situations, will initially replace a group of aging F-16s in Israel, though the purchase was met by skepticism among politicians, who said the large price tag could be better spent elsewhere.
The planes are seen as helping the country maintain its edge in the Middle East, particularly as its main enemy Iran seeks further influence in the region.
“The F-35 has been designed to deal with the most advanced threat systems now being fielded in the Middle East,” Lockheed Martin’s Steve Over told AFP by email.
Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.