Israel pays for additional F-35s

[squirrelshoes]

I'm not so sure, I remember when F-22 started participating in Red Flag exercises where they'd go against well defended ground targets most of the gushing commentary was how F-22 changed the game since could play quarterback as a mini-AWACs to enable the F-15s and F-16s to get their job done more efficiently.

I imagine if Israel if flying that far to strike Iran they are going to bring a large, well coordinated mixed strike force that will include F-35s.

[doge]

Israel says it is simulating the S-400 in an F-35's exercise.
https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340, ... 05,00.html (Language is Hebrew. I used Google translation.)

Facing the advanced anti-F-35 in a war drill against Hizbullah
Watch the new stealth jets participate for the first time in an exercise that simulates multi-scene combat - in the face of thousands of missiles and rockets, and systems that simulate S-300 and S-400, while dealing with damage to the runways. Senior Officer Proud of Rapid Arms: "The Teams Work Like Formula One"
Yoav Zeitun Posted: 18.06.19
Thousands of missiles and rockets a day, dealing with damage to the airstrips at the bases - and facing the first operation in a combat mode of "mighty" aircraft (F-35). The Air Force is currently conducting a perennial war exercise with a pretty clear wink to the challenges in the northern arena.

In the maneuver, which began on Sunday and ended tomorrow, all the arms of the Corps, including fighter squadrons, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, are practiced alongside all air defense batteries in several arenas.

For the first time, as stated above, the Adir squadron is operated with the stealth aircraft received from the United States for the past two years, and aims to bring added value to the enemy with regard to the speed of destroying the enemy from several locations simultaneously without being identified.

The forces are practicing scenarios in front of technologies and weapons that have not yet reached Hezbollah or have not been fully deployed by the Syrian army. These include a large amount of precision missiles and advanced S-300 and S-400 advanced air defense systems.

The corps also practices damage to air force communications centers as well as damage to the runway and landing routes. In these situations, the ability to continue functioning and fighting is assessed.

"We are practicing assault and deadly destruction of the enemy in high power and in several dimensions, including in the cyber dimension as well as close cooperation with the ground forces, where our pilots and commanders are required to act in situations of uncertainty in the face of the scene," explained a senior officer in the Air Force.

The officer added, "We meet twice a day to investigate, to learn lessons in war. Although we do not cast real armaments in the exercise, we have the ability to measure our fatalities through the speed between getting the target and the aircraft until the aircraft is attacked.

"We are also practicing the fall of our aircraft, and our enemy directing forces operate anti-aircraft batteries, including formative means of enemy radar imaging. We also practice heavy armament dumps while minimizing harm from innocent but this is not a prerequisite for assault."

The officer also commented on the rapid pace of fighter aircraft armaments while fighting: "Our technical teams quickly arm the aircraft during a war, when an assault attack does not take an hour and a half and we work even to reduce that time, when the net is on the ground in less than an hour and the crews Around it work as in Formula 1 ”.

I noticed it when I was looking at F-35 official website f35.com. https://www.f35.com/global
After you select a country from Global Participation, items and news related to that country appear on the right. (The news is mostly written in the native language of the country.)
I clicked through each country's news tab, but there were not many updates.
But there were exceptions. ; Israel news was frequently updated. (Maybe the person in charge of news is enthusiastic?)

[doge]

Who did it!?!? What ASSETs are causing this phenomenon!? (What on earth is this bizarre phenomenon!?) wow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmOmWHhibjc

https://www.jewishpress.com/news/middle ... 019/11/20/

WATCH: IDF Confuses Syrian Missile System and Returns the Missiles to Sender
By Jewish Press News Desk November 20, 2019
Something very strange seems to have happened during the Israeli Air Force’s large-scale attack on Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria overnight.

In a video released by IntelliTimes, which is reportedly of the Syrian missile system launching rockets at the Israeli Air Force last night, one clearly sees Syrian missile after missile become “confused”, turn around, and return to the ground and explode…

The blog estimates that this may indicate a loss of radar lock after the launch, or another proactive action that prevented the missiles from starting their course toward the target.

Security sites reported in the past that Israel wanted to install radar blocks on its F-35 aircraft which would enable the aircraft to bypass enemy radar systems. Similar reports have suggested that the IAF F-35 planes are equipped with a system that prevents its detection by enemy radar.

Back in 2012, an IAF official told Av Week that while the stealth of the F-35 in its current form would be cracked and overcome in 5–10 years, the aircraft will be in service for 30–40 years, which is why Israel insisted on making its own changes to the aircraft’s electronic warfare systems.

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett declared on Wednesday that “the rules have changed. Anyone who shoots at the State of Israel during the day will not sleep at night. Like last week and now this week. Our message to Iran’s leaders is simple: You are no longer immune. Wherever you stretch your tentacles-we will hack them off.”

There is a lot of speculation as to how Israel could have done this. Whatever the method, this could be a game changer.

[hornetfinn]

Could well be SA-2 or SA-3 with missile guidance uplink jammed. IIRC that was possible even in Vietnam War. Another possibility is just plain old missile malfunction.

[doge]

Could well be SA-2 or SA-3 with missile guidance uplink jammed. IIRC that was possible even in Vietnam War. Another possibility is just plain old missile malfunction.

Thank you very much for telling me about the phenomenon and the type of missile.

------------------------------


LM USAF Ret.Gen. Gary L. North says the F-35 can handle the S-400 and intercept cruise missiles...!! wow
https://www.timesofisrael.com/f-35-jets ... urer-says/

F-35 jets let IAF ‘go wherever it needs to go,’ manufacturer says
Lockheed Martin VP touts his aircraft’s advanced capabilities as Israel debates purchasing more stealth fighters or upgraded F-15s from Boeing
By JUDAH ARI GROSS
A senior Lockheed Martin official on Tuesday boasted that his company’s F-35 fighter jet allows the Israeli Air Force to carry out operations without detection by enemy air defenses, giving Israel an advantage in the region.
“The stealth that allows the pilots to go wherever they need to go, with the assurance that they know exactly where they can go and not be seen. The absolute situation that they have, which no other airplane can provide them at this level, is just phenomenal. It gives them such a confidence,” said Gary North, a retired US Air Force general and current vice president at Lockheed Martin, during a meeting with journalists in Israel.
Asked how the F-35 aircraft would fare against an adversary like Iran — if, for example, Israel were to try to conduct a military strike against its nuclear facilities — North said he could not comment specifically about such operational planning, but maintained that the stealth fighter can outmatch advanced air defense systems.

“I will say this: against a ‘double-digit’ high threat environment, the F-35 is absolutely the weapon of choice,” he said. North was referring to a NATO naming convention in which advanced surface-to-air missile systems are designated with double digits. For instance, Iran’s Russian-supplied S-300 is known as the SA-10, while the more outdated S-200 is referred to as the SA-5.
However, North stressed, stealth does not mean completely undetectable. “Nothing is invisible at an appropriate range, but the beauty of [the F-35’s stealth capability] is that you are stealthy for a very, very long time,” he said.
When the F-35 carries missiles externally, on its wings, the aircraft is no longer stealthy, North acknowledged, though it can again become less observable once it has dropped those bombs.

North visited Israel this week to meet with officials from the IAF and Defense Ministry regarding the country’s current fleet of 20 F-35 fighter jets, out of a total package of 50 planes that Israel has agreed to purchase, as well as ongoing negotiations with the Jewish state for a potential purchase of another squadron’s worth of stealth fighters.
Israel is currently deliberating purchasing either additional fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin or so-called fourth-and-a-half generation F-15X fighter jets from its competitor, Boeing. While the F-35 has far greater stealth capabilities and other technological advantages, the F-15X — an upgraded version of the decades-old F-15 — is capable of carrying far more munitions, making it a more attractive option for use as a bomber.
North, naturally, believes that Israel should opt for his firm’s stealthy and state-of-the-art F-35, which will cost less than $80 million per aircraft beginning next year as costs of production decrease.

The retired general, who served as an air force pilot, responded to comments made by former US defense secretary Ashton Carter in Tel Aviv earlier this month, who said he believed the F-35 would be the last manned fighter jet to be manufactured by the US. North said he instead foresaw a future where pilots would become optional, not replaced entirely by artificial intelligence and remote controls.
“Advanced technologies are going to allow significant options, to be what we call optionally manned,” North said.
“We are working right now in our Skunk Works [Lockheed Martin’s research and development wing] to be able to do manned, unmanned or what we call MUMT — manned/unmanned teaming — where you can have an F-35 controlling and working in concert with either totally autonomous or remotely piloted vehicles for an operation,” he said.

The Lockheed executive noted that one of the advantages of the F-35 was its “survivability,” thanks to a host of integrated technologies that make crashes less likely. These include Lockheed Martin’s Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, which takes control of the plane if it appears the pilot has lost consciousness or otherwise been incapacitated.
This system is installed on all Israeli F-35 fighter jets, according to North. It wasn’t installed on a Japanese F-35 aircraft that crashed into the Pacific Ocean this summer after the pilot suffered “spatial disorientation,” he said.
North also stressed that in addition to its stealth capabilities, the F-35 also comes with built-in electronic warfare systems, which he said far surpass those of other aircraft.

“In the open market, it is nine times more powerful than any other electronic jamming platform,” he said. “It is extremely powerful, which adds to the self-protection not only of itself but of the entire formation.”
North touted the aircraft’s sensitive array of radar and other sensors, which he said could allow the F-35 to shoot down incoming cruise missiles.
In recent months, the Israeli military has warned that Iran could seek to carry out an attack with cruise missiles, which unlike ballistic missiles can be remotely controlled, making them more difficult to be shot down by traditional air defense systems. Such munitions were used, along with drones, to carry out a massive attack on a Saudi petroleum facility earlier this year.

North said the aircraft’s radar array system could detect a small, low-flying cruise missile. “It is the most powerful airborne radar system in the world. It is very capable, very low observable, very low altitude, very fast speed platforms, either airplanes or cruise missiles,” he said.
“After all, a cruise missile isn’t any different from an airplane, it’s just smaller,” added the former general.
According to the Lockheed Martin vice president, negotiations between his company and the IAF regarding a third squadron are ongoing but have stalled somewhat due to Israel’s lack of a government, which prevents serious budget-related discussions.

“We have a request for information about a third squadron, and the company obviously takes that very seriously,” he said. “Clearly, there are some challenges as the government forms and what-have-you, but that’s an internal issue.”
Asked if the recent decision by the US government to refuse to sell the F-35 fighter jet to Turkey over its purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system could lead to Israel receiving its next 30 aircraft more quickly, North said that was a possibility but was up to the Israeli government to decide if that were something it wanted to do.
So far, Lockheed Martin has delivered over 475 F-35 fighter jets to nine countries around the world, eight of which have declared it operational. Another four countries are waiting to receive their first planes.

Nearly 1,000 pilots have been trained to fly the aircraft and thousands of people are certified to perform maintenance on the plane, North said.
Barring a dramatic change in the delivery schedule, Israel’s remaining 30 F-35 fighter jets will be delivered in batches of twos and threes until 2024. Israel is the second country after the United States to receive the F-35 from Lockheed Martin and one of the few to be allowed to modify the state-of-the-art aircraft — though the extent to which Israel will be able to add its own systems is still being debated with the US.
Detractors, however, balk at the development and production delays that have plagued the aircraft, as well as its high price tag of approximately $100 million apiece initially, though the price is going down as more planes are manufactured. Lockheed Martin also boasts that the F-35 requires less maintenance than other aircraft, making it more cost effective in the long term.

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/he/node/41303 (Language is Hebrew. Used Google translation.)

"In Israel, a demand for a third 'mighty' squadron is formulated"
Lockheed Martin Vice President Gary North, a visitor to Israel, further revealed that by 2025 the price of an F-35 aircraft will drop. "The mighty planes are capable of handling the Russian S-400 system," said North, who revealed new details about the advanced aircraft.
Dan Arkin | 17/12/2019
In light of the opening of the second squadron in the Air Force, a demand is being made for a third squadron of F-35 stealth aircraft to be purchased, said Lockheed Martin Vice President General (Retired) Gary North, visiting Israel. The company is a guest of Israeli CEO Joshua Shiki Shani. North said that to date, 20 Air Force aircraft have been delivered to the Air Force, and in total the general order is for 50 aircraft. $ 77.9 million per aircraft, and by 2025, the price of flight time on the F-35 aircraft has also dropped to $ 25,000.
The company's senior manager, who is in contact with F-35 aircraft customers, noted that so far 475 F-35 aircraft have been delivered to nine countries, to 13 customers, to 21 air bases in the world, and there are currently 975 pilots in the world flying the stealth aircraft, including two The Air Force Squadron at Sprout Base.

General North, a veteran fighter pilot and veteran in the US Air Force, has held two senior positions: Pacific Air Force Command and Middle East Air Force Commander. As someone who is very familiar with the Israeli Air Force scene, General (retired) North Because today there are three air forces in the world whose stealth aircraft have taken part in combat operations, which include the US, Israel and the United Kingdom.
According to North, the most important feature of the Mighty Plane is to "fly to places where you do not know you are coming." "These fatalities and survivors are two great advantages of 5th generation fighter jets. The F-35 pilot has 360-degree awareness when flying. He will launch a long-range missile, the aircraft will launch the most advanced missiles such as METEOR , SPEAR and ASRAAM , and in the future, hyper-missiles. Sunni aircraft are capable of handling the advanced Russian GNP system S-400 and also against high-speed cruise missiles and low-flying missiles. The aircraft's radar is the world's most powerful fighter jet. "

More Platform Generation 5 benefits: SENSOR FUSION capabilities - sensors and information fusion - The aircraft's ability to gather intelligence, information and data and share it through other combat aircraft communication channels, including unmanned or remote experts, and share ground forces, commanders and commanders information Intelligence consumers at the fighting scene. The advanced armament of the aircraft almost escalates air fights, says General North, who previously shot down enemy jets, because today's armament is deadly and launched from a long distance, weapons against STNADOFF .
The system that prevents collision with the ground
In an emergency, when the aircraft loses recognition while flying and stops operating for a few seconds, each F-35 aircraft, including 'mighty' aircraft in the Air Force, is equipped with a special system that prevents collision with the ground. The system automatically activates the aircraft until the pilot regains consciousness. North says the system has already saved the lives of pilots and aircraft at foreign operators.

Lockheed Martin's Vice President noted praising the company's cooperation with the Israeli defense industries, some of which produce systems and parts for F-35 aircraft with great success. He said that the maintenance of Adair's aircraft is fully carried out in Israel.
" F-35s are so advanced," North says, "until I hear air force commanders in the world who think the Air Force and the Army should be fitted to the aircraft, and not the other way around. It's such an advanced aircraft that the Army has to adapt to its advanced technologies."

https://www.maariv.co.il/news/military/Article-735852 (Language is Hebrew. Used Google translation.)

Lockheed Martin senior: "The F-35 can fly to places it doesn't know is coming"
A Lockheed Martin senior who is currently visiting Israel said in correspondence with reporters that "fatalities and survivors are two great advantages of fifth-generation fighter jets"
Tal Lev Ram 17/12/2019 18:42
Retired General Gary North, a senior US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin, said Tuesday in a conversation with reporters during his visit to Israel that the F-35 Mighty Fighters in the Israeli Air Force have the ability to detect and intercept long-range threats At low altitude and speed like cruise missiles, using the advanced radar installed in the front of the aircraft. He said the information from the sensors was done shortly, for a full operational image as well as the ability to exert additional forces in the mission of intercepting targets, from low altitudes like cruise missiles to heavier missiles. . "The aircraft's radar is the world's most powerful fighter jet and brings you luther detection of small objects at greater distances compared to existing, "he added.

North noted that "defining the most important feature of the Mighty Plane is 'flying to places where they do not know you are coming'."
He explained: "These fatalities and survivors are two great advantages of fifth-generation fighter jets - the F-35 pilot has 360-degree awareness during an operational flight. He will launch a long-range missile, see the threats from a greater distance and allow the aircraft to launch the missiles The most advanced, and in the future - hypersonic missiles. "
The senior official said: "He has said to date that 20 Air Force aircraft have been delivered to the Air Force, and in total the total order is for 50 aircraft arriving in Israel by 2024 at a general rate of six aircraft per year. The price of the aircraft falls dramatically to $ 77.9 million per aircraft ".
As mentioned so far, 475 F-35s have been delivered to nine countries, to 13 customers, to 21 air bases in the world, and there are currently 975 pilots in the world flying the stealth aircraft, including both Air Force bases in the Sprout Base.
The aircraft is capable of flying both elusively for long flight ranges when the ammunition is stored in the aircraft's abdomen, as well as in the bomb configuration in which about 9 tons of bombs can be loaded on the wings, both under and inside the aircraft body.
In addition, all aircraft are equipped with a special ground collision avoidance system, in case of emergency, where the pilot loses recognition while flying and loses the ability to fly the aircraft, every F-35 aircraft, including Mighty Air Force aircraft, has a special A-GCAS system that prevents Collision with the ground.
The system, which was implemented about seven years before the original design, takes control of the riders and flies the aircraft automatically until the pilot regains consciousness.
North says the system has already saved the lives of pilots and aircraft at foreign operators, especially in fourth-generation aircraft.
Lockheed Martin's Vice President noted commendation of the Company's cooperation with the Israeli defense industries, some of which produce F-35 aircraft systems and parts with great success. According to him, the maintenance of Mighty aircraft is fully carried out in Israel. "These aircraft are so advanced that I hear commanders Air forces in the world believe that the Air Force and the Army should be adapted to the aircraft, and not the other way around, "North noted." It is such an advanced aircraft that the Army must adapt to its advanced technologies."

The breakingdefense news about Israel was mainly vsF-15EX.
https://breakingdefense.com/2019/12/loc ... uts-f-15s/
For me it was not very interesting.

[spazsinbad]

'doge' said: "The breakingdefense news about Israel was mainly vs F-15EX.
https://breakingdefense.com/2019/12/loc ... uts-f-15s/ For me it was not very interesting.

here is wot interested me...

Lockheed Presses For Sale Of 75 F-35s To Israel; Boeing Touts F-15s
18 Dec 2019 Arie Egozi & Colin Clark

"...Lockheed Martin sent Gary North, the company’s VP for customer requirements, the former head of Pacific Air Forces to press the company’s case. Aside from the expected claim that the F-35 is the best solution for the Israeli Air force’s challenges in the region, North said the unit price of LRIP Lot 14 will be $77.9 million, which means that the last six F-35s in the 50 aircraft contract will carry this price tag. They will be delivered in 2024. According to the best public estimate from the Pentagon, the F-15X will cost $90 million a copy, according to its Cost Assessment and Program (CAPE) analysts.

North said that the price of the F-35 flight hour is going down, and is, as Lockheed keeps promising and the government keeps doubting, going to be $25,000 by 2025.

The Lockheed Martin senior official said that the radar of the F-35 is capable of detecting low flying threats like Iranian cruise missiles. North revealed that the F-35 test aircraft will be delivered to the IAF in the summer of 2020.

The IAF has prepared a list of weapon systems and “functional” systems that it intends to test on the special F-35 test aircraft. The special test aircraft has been manufactured according to specifications that took two years to prepare.

The special aircraft is designed to adapt Israeli-developed systems to the IAF’s F-35s. “All our platforms have been upgraded to enable stretching the flight envelope while using the unique weapon systems made by the Israeli industries,” an IAF officer from its flight test center said.

Since the stealth fighter aircraft arrived, some Israeli-made systems have been tested in different scenarios, including during combat operations across the Middle East. But the test aircraft will allow these tests to be fully performed. We can’t offer many other details.

North said that the US and Israel are still negotiating how much the Israelis will be allowed to interface with the F-35’s core systems. While the US has claimed for years that partners and allies aircraft will have the same capabilities as those bought by the US, those negotiations make it clear there are limits. The test aircraft will help Israeli enhance the capabilities of the F-35 Adir in air-air and air-ground missions using highly classified Israeli systems developed for this purpose.

Israeli defense companies have been busy adapting operational systems for use on the F-35, including electronic systems and special weapons systems. These initial designs have been updated based on Israel’s combat experience, with the aircraft striking targets across the Middle East.

In addition to the special capabilities Israel plans to install on their F-35s, the IAF wants to perform all heavy maintenance — depot-level — in Israel but North said the aircraft has been designed so that it does not need depot maintenance. The IAF has decided that only subsystems of the Lockheed Martin F-35 will be sent for maintenance and repair in special regional centers abroad. “We have made it clear that the maintenance of the aircraft — including depot level — will be done in our bases” an IAF senior officer said. He added that even major subsystems will be sent to other countries only if “there is a technical reason.”..."

Source: https://breakingdefense.com/2019/12/loc ... uts-f-15s/

[charlielima223]

The only reason I can think of why Israel would would pick or keep their F-15s over F-35 is because of bunker busting missions in a hypothetical/possible strike into Iran. From my understanding the F-35 (any variant to any country) isn't cleared to carry the GBU-28, which Israel has a small number of and is cleared to be carried by their F-15s...

I know this is a US F-15E...

[Corsair1963]

The only reason I can think of why Israel would would pick or keep their F-15s over F-35 is because of bunker busting missions in a hypothetical/possible strike into Iran. From my understanding the F-35 (any variant to any country) isn't cleared to carry the GBU-28, which Israel has a small number of and is cleared to be carried by their F-15s...

I know this is a US F-15E...

The F-35A/B/C could easily carry the GBU-28 on the inner pylons. Honestly, only reason Israel would even consider the F-15. Is under pressure from the US to keep the production line going in St. Louis. Has nothing to do with merit....

[marsavian]

Honestly, only reason Israel would even consider the F-15. Is under pressure from the US to keep the production line going in St. Louis. Has nothing to do with merit....

Israel is not going to buy a product for US industrial reasons, their very existence depends on their defense decisions and they got the US to give them modified F-35s so it's pretty obvious that it is Israel and its US Jewish lobby which drives what exactly they buy from the US and not vice versa. It's pretty obvious to me what the reason would be to buy F-15 instead of F-35, more range/persistence or more payload in specific scenarios. There are enough F-35 now to even act as their EW escort to enhance their survivability. Ideally they would prefer PCA ultimately to replace their F-15E but until then they will persist with their F-15 bomb trucks which stripped down can also double up as very fast interceptors again exceeding F-35 performance.

[Corsair1963]

Honestly, only reason Israel would even consider the F-15. Is under pressure from the US to keep the production line going in St. Louis. Has nothing to do with merit....

Israel is not going to buy a product for US industrial reasons, their very existence depends on their defense decisions and they got the US to give them modified F-35s so it's pretty obvious that it is Israel and its US Jewish lobby which drives what exactly they buy from the US and not vice versa. It's pretty obvious to me what the reason would be to buy F-15 instead of F-35, more range/persistence or more payload in specific scenarios. There are enough F-35 now to even act as their EW escort to enhance their survivability. Ideally they would prefer PCA ultimately to replace their F-15E but until then they will persist with their F-15 bomb trucks which stripped down can also double up as very fast interceptors again exceeding F-35 performance.

The US provides Israel with considerable "AID". So, I can assure you they have a lot of say on what the IDF does or doesn't buy from the US...

In addition the F-15 doesn't off more range or payload over the F-35. Regardless, what some spin on the WWW....

[marsavian]

Of course the F-15 offers either more absolute range or more absolute payload or more absolute speed than the F-35. Check what the manufacturers say or you can carry on pretending your aerial Swiss knife is the answer for every military aviation requirement for all air forces.

[Corsair1963]

Of course the F-15 offers either more absolute range or more absolute payload or more absolute speed than the F-35. Check what the manufacturers say or you can carry on pretending your aerial Swiss knife is the answer for every military aviation requirement for all air forces.

You have no idea what you're talking about. The F-15 never fly's at Mach 2.5 nor does it carry 23,000 lbs + of weapons. Maybe on paper but in the real world not even close!


Honestly, this has been discussed over and over again.....

[marsavian]

In Israel's real world enemies are between 10 to 1000 miles away with any combination in between. The F-15 can use its absolutely proven higher speed or range or payload for useful war purposes in that environment. It could reach Mach 2.5 over its territory, Mach 2 with CFT to intercept incoming aircraft/missiles. It could use twice the fuel the F-35 carries to bomb further into Iraq/Iran. The fact that they want new F-15s and wish to modernize their old ones to the same standard should clue you up that the F-35 is not the answer to every military problem. Or rather it would do if you wasn't so obviously a blatant F-35 lobbyist.

[marauder2048]

Honestly, only reason Israel would even consider the F-15. Is under pressure from the US to keep the production line going in St. Louis. Has nothing to do with merit....

Israel is not going to buy a product for US industrial reasons,

The change in the terms and conditions of US aid to Israel makes this particular deal very much about the US industrial base.

[spazsinbad]

Israel Seeks New U.S. Military Aircraft
19 Dec 2019 Jon Lake

"Emboldened by strengthened U.S. support under the Trump presidency, Israel is making plans to acquire a major package of U.S. defense equipment, confident that aid and weapons will continue to flow despite the lack of progress in solving the ongoing Palestinian problem....

...In June 2019, the Israel defense ministry issued an official request for information for the Boeing F-15X, and a price and availability (P&A) request for the Lockheed Martin F-35I. Israel already has 50 F-35Is on order and has had a long-standing intention to buy 25 more, but recent reports suggest that the Israel Air Force intends to buy 75 additional F-35Is and a similar number of F-15X strike fighters....

...Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since 1945, receiving $142.3 billion in bilateral assistance. Under a new 10-year memorandum of understanding signed in 2016, the U.S. has pledged to provide $38 billion in military aid. Annual Foreign Military Funding grants to Israel represent about 18 percent of the total Israel defense budget."

Source: https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news ... y-aircraft