Israel wants own technology on F-35 stealth fighters

JERUSALEM, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- As Israel plans to buy the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) from the United States, the Israeli Defense Ministry is seeking American approval to install Israeli-made technology on the stealth fighter jets it buys.

One reason for Israel to ask for the changes is that the version of Israel Air Force (IAF) will be unique and superior in case the aircraft is also sold to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, said a Thursday report by local daily The Jerusalem Post.

"We have unique needs and need to retain our superiority in the region," a senior Israeli defense official was quoted as saying. "To meet these needs, we must be able to install our own systems."

With the Iranian nuclear threat looming, Israel has been looking for further U.S. support on a variety of defense measures, including developing advanced missile defense capabilities, acquiring smart bomb technology and expediting the F-35 sale.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Defense Department notified Congress of plans to sell up to 75 Joint Strike Fighter fifth-generation fighter jets to Israel in a 15.2-billion-U.S. dollar deal for the aircraft, which is expected to be the mainstay of air power in the U.S. and several other nations for decades.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said it informed Congress last Friday that Israel has asked to buy 25 of the F-35s,with an option to buy an additional 50 at a later date.



In its statement to Congress, the DSCA said the sale would help Israel "develop and maintain a strong self-defense capability" and that the deal would not upset the balance of military power in the region.

The sale would be the first to a country outside the U.S. and the other eight partner nations that are collaborating on the F-35,which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the largest U.S. defense contractor, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The first batch of 25 would be the variant of F-35 designed for conventional takeoff from military airfields, but the later 50 could include a version that can land and take off vertically, similar to a helicopter.

If approved by Congress in the next 30 days, Israel will likelysign an official contract with the U.S. Air Force in the coming months and begin receiving the aircraft in 2014, said the report.

While news of the Pentagon approval was positively received in Israeli Defense Ministry, Israeli officials said it was still too early to celebrate since Israel has yet to receive final Pentagon approval to allow the IAF to install Israeli-made systems in the plane.

Israeli demands include installing an advanced radar and conformal fuel tank design for long-range missions made by Israel Aerospace Industries, as well as other electronic and weapons systems that could require changes to the configuration of the aircraft.

The technology issue was discussed last week between the IAF and a team of U.S. military officers from the Joint Strike Fighter program who were in Israel. It was also at the focus of talks Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Pinhas Buchris held in Washington earlier this month.

The result of the negotiations will be a determining factor in the number of aircraft Israel decides to purchase.

If Israel exercises the vertical option, it would be the first time that the IAF obtains this capability, needed out of fear that Israeli airfields would be paralyzed by enemy missiles in a future conflict and planes would have difficulty taking off in a conventional fashion, said The Jerusalem Post.

Britain, Turkey and Australia are among the eight countries participating in the Joint Strike Fighter program.

Israel enjoys the status of a Security Cooperation Participant after paying 20 million U.S. dollars in 2003 to obtain access to information accumulated during the development of the jet, which will be priced at somewhere between 50 million to 60 million U.S. dollars.

The jet is still under development and is not yet in service. While the jet is expected to be widely used, the program has suffered delays and escalating costs that have been criticized by government auditors.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/03/content_10146022.htm