אינדקס
Revealed - This Is Why Israel Wants F-35s and Deadly New F-15s
Superpower in the Sky, Israel Wants F-35s and Deadly New F-15s
On May 16, Flight Global—an aviation-focused news source—reported that Israel is proposing a deal to purchase twenty-five F-15Is in an advanced configuration. This would double the number of F-15Is the Israeli Air Force (IAF) currently operates. As part of the proposed nearly $4 billion deal, Boeing would also modernize Israel’s existing twenty-five F-15Is to bring them up to the same level as the new ones.
Although the Global Flight report doesn’t specify, it seems to be referring to the recommendation made by the head of the IAF, Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin. Reports earlier this year said that his recommendation was supposed to come sometime in May. The IAF’s recommendation has to be approved by the General Staff and a ministerial committee. But, according to the previously mentioned Haaretz report, “the recommendation of the air force generally carries the day.”
If accepted, this means that Jerusalem has decided against buying another squadron of F-35s for the time being. As I’ve mentioned before, there has been an ongoing debate within Israeli defense circles about whether the country should purchase more F-35s or else increase its fleet of F-15Is. The debate has basically centered on the value of stealth compared with the value of weapons loads. To the F-35’s credit, it is stealthy and can fly undetected by enemy radars. To do this, however, it can’t carry bombs outside its bay, limiting the number of munitions it can carry.
