Israel Received Three New F-35 Stealth Fighter Jets (Photos)
An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli airforce pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel December 29, 2016.. (photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
On March 24, US defense contractor Lockheed Martin delivered three F-35i Adir fighter jets to the Israeli Air Force (IAF).
The three stealth fighter jets, reportedly equipped with an upgraded operating system, landed in Nevatim Air Base in southern Israel. The new delivery brought the number of F-35i in active service with the IAF to 33.
“Three new “Adir” F-35I fighter jets landed at Nevatim AFB today and joined the lines of the IAF’s 5th-Gen division as part of the 140th and 116th Squadrons. The addition is part of a process that strengthens the IAF and enhances its operational capabilities,” the IAF said on Twitter.
The F-35I is an F-35A with unique Israeli modifications. The Adir is equipped with Israeli-made electronic warfare systems, including sensors and countermeasures. The main computer of this special version has a plug-and-play function for add-on systems; proposals include an external jamming pod, and new Israeli air-to-air missiles and guided bombs in the internal weapon bays.
היום (ה’), נחתו שלושה מטוסי ״אדיר״ F-35I בבסיס נבטים שבדרום הארץ.
שני ״אדירים״ הצטרפו לטייסת 116 (״אריות הדרום״) ואחד לטייסת 140 (“נשר הזהב”). pic.twitter.com/7QBFzWvjGw— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 24, 2022
The IAF declared the F-35i operationally capable in 2017. In the same year, an F-35i was reportedly hit by a missile launched from a Syrian S-200 long-range air-defense system while counducting a reconnaissance mission over Lebanon.
In the following years the stealth fighter jet saw action against ground targets in Syria as well the as the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Very recently, the Israeli military revealed IAF F-35I fighters shot down two Iranian drones, carrying weapons to the Gaza Strip in 2021. This was the first operational shoot down and interception carried out by the F-35.
The IAF is set to receive 42 additional F-35i fighter jets in the upcoming few years. Despite many reports questioning the F-35 combat and operational capabilities, Israel will likely order more of the stealth fighter jets from the US in the near future to replace its ageing fleet of F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.
The post Israel Received Three New F-35 Stealth Fighter Jets (Photos) appeared first on South Front.