Israel to buy 100 Joint Strike Fighters to replace older F-16's

In an exlusive inverview with Globes the procurement officier of the Israel Air Force told Israel has plans to replace their older F-16's with 100 Joint strike fighters. The first F-35s will come into service in the mid-2010s.
Besides the JSF they also have plans to buy several C-130J Super Hercs and are currently upgrading their CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters.

Very interesting development. Israel was kept out of the JSF program for several years. In november 2005 they were finally able to join the program, but have not worked out the technology tranfser problems (yet).

Source

[edit on 6-21-2006 by Zion Mainframe]

They have no choice. Another choice will be Typhoon, but such small country as Isreal, that V/STOL capability is really important, then no more fighter as advanced as JSF on such reasonable price.

Originally posted by Zion Mainframe
Very interesting development. Israel was kept out of the JSF program for several years. In november 2005 they were finally able to join the program, but have not worked out the technology tranfser problems (yet).

Wow! I guess China is delighted... Now they can have F-35 stealth tech handed to them on a silver platter -

I was worried about this too intelgurl do you honestly think they will get it that easy? The tech issue hasn't been sorted out for them yet but there is no question it worries me that china could take our edge off by getting their hands on these planes. If they got the chance to reverse engineer one of these planes (shudder).

[edit on 23-6-2006 by Canada_EH]

This is good news for Israel. The F-35 is almost certainly a very effective platform whatever its critics say. Any confirmation on which variant they've ordered - I assume its the USAF one?

Originally posted by Canada_EH
I was worried about this too intelgurl do you honestly think they will get it that easy? [edit on 23-6-2006 by Canada_EH]

no... I think China will have to pay for it.

Why is everyone getting ahead of themselves? Israel wants to buy the JSF, not a done deal. Personally I don’t trust them with advanced US systems; they have loose technology transfer policies. If they do get the JSF I hope they get a downgraded version and no computer codes.

Given the problems the USA and UK are having with each other over the F-35 would Israel be satisfied with highly restricted access to the aircrafts technology? Israel has a habit of taking what it buys and making it fit its own requirements. With restricted access codes this would not be possible.

Originally posted by waynos
Given the problems the USA and UK are having with each other over the F-35 would Israel be satisfied with highly restricted access to the aircrafts technology? Israel has a habit of taking what it buys and making it fit its own requirements. With restricted access codes this would not be possible.

seeing as the US almost hands over all their off the line tec to israel
i doubt they will have the same issues the UK is having,
remember the israeli lobby group in the US

Zion Mainframe,

>>
In an exlusive inverview with Globes the procurement officier of the Israel Air Force told Israel has plans to replace their older F-16's with 100 Joint strike fighters. The first F-35s will come into service in the mid-2010s.
Besides the JSF they also have plans to buy several C-130J Super Hercs and are currently upgrading their CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters.
>>

They won't replace their F-16A Netz. They will replace their F-16C.30 and .40 Barak. The former are almost entirely pointdefense dedicated birds with a little bit of CAS as the A-4/Kfir they themselves replaced. They are likely 'reserve' squadrons and hence are not hard to support, cash wise.

OTOH, the JSF has the potential to do what the Ra'am and Suifa were supposed to but for which the changing threat circumstances (S2A and IADS especially) over there have more or less rendered laughable. Namely return to Israel 'forward air dominance' and the ability to Strategically Strike to Damascus and beyond.

For this alone, I would not trust them. Not so long as we are trying to drag the dead of the Iraqi regime along.

At the same time, 100X104 million dollars = TEN POINT FOUR BILLION DOLLARS.

Almost all of which will be hidden under the rug of FMF and Congressionally lobbied 'charity' on behalf of the taxpayer.

ASK YOURSELF. If the Israeli's only 'bought for themselves' about 25 F-15I, to fullfill the longrange and precision strike roles being vacated by the Kurnass, why do you think they should be _given_ 100 other airframes to do exactly the same mission?

So solly dolly, buy for yourself what you think you can afford, don't ask for credit where it ain't due. 9/11 more or less ended the 'who has the most influence in the Middle East' argument.

>>
Very interesting development. Israel was kept out of the JSF program for several years. In november 2005 they were finally able to join the program, but have not worked out the technology tranfser problems (yet).
>>

Why on earth would they want to? You see, that's the fallacy here. Israel has allllll these fancy weapons programs from clones of the GBU-24 and AGM-62 and GBU-10/12 even a halfway-sorta JDAM clone. While they also have indig developments like the Delilah, Popeye and Derby/Python. And you know what? Except for export where they undercut U.S. systems, they _prefer_ our weapons.

Why? Because, by taking advantage (and I do mean that in all senses of the word) of our mass production techniques and Congressional Dole, they can buy them cheaper than they can make them.

And because, specific to the JSF, _none_ of their weapons are appropriately sized or ranged to take advantage of the aircraft's LO. So they will beg, mewl and demand GBU-38/39 and well will likely give it to them so that they can copy and sell onwards those munitions as well.

HOWEVER; by laying claim to an 'urgent need to exploit existing stocks of local weapons' the Israelis can get access to software object and source codes. While, by inserting their own interfaces, they can deny U.S. rights to access and check the (Lavi to China) status of these systems.

Which is of course (just like Britain and her ties to EADS) why we shouldn't give them a single jet.

As long as we hold Israel and her Neighbors apart, the technology spiral will only get more dangerous folks. If we let Israel finish the fight they picked by _illegally_ creating a Zionist State in Palestine, they will either get their clocks cleaned or 'solve' our Arab/Muslim problem for us.

Either way, we should not continue to let them suck us dry just so that they feel safe enough to sell our toys to China and India and and and.

Intelgurl is dead on correct. For what little they give us, the Israelis fulfill the very worst stereotype of what it is to be 'Jewed'. Manipulated. Sold Out. Used until we are too weak to be worth their time and trouble.

Bad as I hate the F-35 I would rather not give them away to that kind of self-interested city state.


KPl.

I wouldnt do it. Ofcourse they will win all dogfights because of those terminator pilots. I just dont like the manuverabillity of the F35.