Israel seals deal for 20 Lockheed F-35s

[ErnstBlofeld]

UPI:

Israel has finalized its plan to buy 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters for $2.75 billion despite opposition from some military chiefs who say the funds could be better spent and smaller-than-expected spinoff contracts for Israel's defense industry.

The Israeli business daily, Globes, described the sale as the country's most expensive arms deal.

"Purchasing the most advanced fighters jets in the world is an important step in strengthening the State of Israel's military power," Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in a statement after the deal won final approval by a ministerial committee Thursday. Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave his go-ahead in August.

The first of the aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2015. The deal also includes spare parts, maintenance costs and simulators for pilot training.

Each aircraft costs $96 million. That's considerably less than the $137 million price tag on the F-35 because of lengthy delays in the development program and hefty cost overruns that have set back delivery of the jets by up to two years.

It wasn't clear whether the Pentagon had lowered the price to encourage the Israelis to accept a plan by U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to sell Saudi Arabia advanced aircraft worth an estimated $60 billion, ostensibly to bolster Persian Gulf Arab forces to counter Iran.

Israel acquiesced on that after the Americans agreed not to provide Saudi Arabia with long-range standoff weapons systems that could threaten Israeli security.

Acquiring the F-35, even in limited numbers, would allow Israel to maintain the technological edge over its regional adversaries that the United States has long pledged to preserve.

The F-35 buy was pushed through instead of upgrading Israel's Boeing F-15I Ra'am and Lockheed Martin F-16I Sufa jets.

Israel is the first foreign country to buy the F-35, with which the Pentagon plans to equip the U.S. Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps.