NEWTOWN, Conn. - After reports emerged that Israel will soon order additional Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II from the United States, a more definitive number of how many the force plans to purchase has surfaced.
U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan on September 25 said that Israel is "very, very close" to signing a deal within the next few months. However, no word was given then on how many more F-35s Israel was looking to add to its fleet.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, visiting the U.S. last week, placed a preliminary order for about 25 more F-35s, the defense sources said without elaborating on cost. Israel had hoped to buy as many as 31 jets in the second batch, and could increase its order from 25 if the price comes down further, said one U.S. source.
Under Defense Ministry plans, Israel purchased an initial batch of 19 F-35s. This figure represents a slight reduction from the original plan to purchase 25 F-35s in the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) version. The cost of this first batch is estimated at $2.75 billion, much of which will be covered by U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF). This initial lot will be largely similar to the F-35s used by the U.S. Air Force; each Israeli F-35 will be procured out of the low-rate initial production (LRIP) line. Delivery schedules - which remain fluid - are reported as follows: the first five aircraft will come from LRIP Batch 8 and be delivered in 2016; the following seven from LRIP Batch 9 will be delivered in 2017; and the final seven from LRIP Batch 10 will be delivered in 2018.
The new order of jets would be delivered beginning in 2019, with terms of the contract to be finalized by year-end, said the sources.
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