Israel may soon order 10 to 15 US-made F-35 fighter jets, around half the number of aircraft 25-31 as previously discussed.
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, visiting the United States as late as last month, had agreed to a preliminary deal for 25 to 31 more planes subject to approval by an Israeli ministerial committee, sources said.
http://www.asiandefencenews.com/2014/10/israel-air-force-to-buy-25-more-f-35.html
However one committee member, Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, said in an interview there was majority opposition to the scale of Yaalon's order and preference for a smaller purchase of 10 to 15 planes. A final decision is due in the coming days.Steinitz declined to go into detail about the closed-door discussions, but he cited misgivings about whether the F-35's range, payload and manoeuvrability would suit Israel's needs. The Israelis are also husbanding a defence budget that faces cuts, even with some US$3 billion in annual US grants. "We are not the Defence Ministry's rubber stamp," Steinitz said.
An Israeli defence official said the ministerial committee would likely compromise with a staggered plan whereby 13 F-35s would be bought now and another 18 in 2017. The 2010 deal gave Israel the option to buy 75 planes, or three squadrons.
Representative photos
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, visiting the United States as late as last month, had agreed to a preliminary deal for 25 to 31 more planes subject to approval by an Israeli ministerial committee, sources said.
http://www.asiandefencenews.com/2014/10/israel-air-force-to-buy-25-more-f-35.html
However one committee member, Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, said in an interview there was majority opposition to the scale of Yaalon's order and preference for a smaller purchase of 10 to 15 planes. A final decision is due in the coming days.Steinitz declined to go into detail about the closed-door discussions, but he cited misgivings about whether the F-35's range, payload and manoeuvrability would suit Israel's needs. The Israelis are also husbanding a defence budget that faces cuts, even with some US$3 billion in annual US grants. "We are not the Defence Ministry's rubber stamp," Steinitz said.
An Israeli defence official said the ministerial committee would likely compromise with a staggered plan whereby 13 F-35s would be bought now and another 18 in 2017. The 2010 deal gave Israel the option to buy 75 planes, or three squadrons.
Representative photos
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