One month after Israel received the new stealth F-35 “Adir” (Hebrew for “Great One”) in Dallas, Texas, the aircraft was tested for the first time on Tuesday in the southern US. Israel was the first country to buy the fighter jet under the US’s Foreign Military Sales process. The Letter of Agreement was signed in October 2010.
A lighter version of the F-22, the F-35 Lightning II Adir, passed all tests at US manufacturer Lockheed-Martin, and is due to be delivered in mid-December. F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters. The fifth generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack, aerial reconnaissance, and air defense missions.
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In the coming months, the aircraft will take more stages in the transfer process to Israel from the American government. It will undergo more trial flights and additional training for pilots in the Israel Air Force using new simulation technology.
On June 22, 2016, the Israeli Air Force welcomed the first F-35A Adir for Israel at a ceremony at the Lockheed-Martin factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman attended the 400-strong ceremony, along with US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, and other political and military figures.
In total, Israel is set to receive a form of two squadrons: 33 such combat fighters. Delivery is taking place over 2016 and 2017. Six will be received annually until 2021.
Israel produced the F-35’s wings, the unique helmet required by its pilots as well as the supply of special material for the plane’s fuselage, and the doors of ammunition compartments.
