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U.S. Offers 30 F-15I's and 60 F-16C/Ds To Israel

September 21, 1998 (by Lieven Dewitte) - The United States announced Tuesday it had offered to sell 30 F-15and 60 F-16 fighter jets to Israel for $5 billion to help maintain the Middle East ally's advantage over potential foes.
Israel already has bothF-15s and F-16s in its air force, but the United States stressed that the new F-15 "I" model ''enhances Israel's ability to defend itself'' and would maintain "Israel's qualitative edge'' in regional military strength.

The advanced F-15I ground attack jets are built by Boeing Co and theF-16 C and D models are made by Lockheed Martin Corp. Each aircraft package would be worth $2.5 billion, the total value of the deal being $5 billion. All of the jets would be equipped with advanced radars and special LANTIRN navigation and targeting pods to give them ground-attack capability as well as air-to-air superiority.

All of the jets in the package would also be equipped to carry AMRAAM missiles like those offered to the UAE as well as other air-to-air and ground attack missiles.