US Approves 25, F-35 Stealth Aircraft to Israel

US approves 25 F-35 stealth fighter aircraft to Israel

The Pentagon has approved the $15.2 billion sale of 25 F-35 stealth Strike Fighters to Israel with an option for another 50, saying assisting Israel develop a strong and ready self-defense capability is vital to US national security interests.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that President George W, Bush, in mid-financial crisis, fully discharged his promise of a defense package for Israeli before he left office. Israel is the first foreign nation to receive the Lockheed Martin F-35 Strike Fighter, the plane of the future, which will enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground defenses and replace the older Air Force F-16 fighters by virtue of five exceptional features:

1. An advanced radar for striking ground or air targets long distance while destroying any threat in its immediate environment.

2. An electro-optical targeting system (EOTS).

3. The pilot’s helmet-mounted displays (HMD).

4. It is the first fighter plane in the world with a communications system linked to satellites.

5. The capacity for carrying large quantities of ordnance from joint direct attack munitions to AIM-120 and AIM-132 air-to-air missiles.