Israel is one of the operators of the Lockheed Martin F-35, the multipurpose stealth fighter considered one of the most advanced in history. An aircraft that, although it has been the source of criticism and ridicule for its expensive development and multiple operational problems, has become one of the coveted ones internationally.
However, the arrival of the F-35 to Israel has been marked by some special issues. In fact, the Air Force of that country is the only current operator of the aircraft that has a specific variant, called F-35I Adir. This is because it has unique characteristics regarding instruments and weapons, due to an agreement with the United States to implement locally developed technical modifications.
Israel’s claim to incorporate its own technologies into the F-35 has been a source of tension not only during the negotiation with the US. has caused discomfort in other countries that participated in the financing of the program that led to this aircraft, but that have not received “special treatment” of such magnitude.
A brief review of the origin of the F-35 Lightning II
The F-35 was born after beating the Boeing X-32 in 2001 in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The multirole fighter first flew in 2006, but entered service almost a decade later. In 2015, the United States Marine Corps had the first operational squadron of this aircraft. While in 2016 the Air Force followed. The North American Navy, meanwhile, only began operating it in 2019.
It is worth noting that the stealth aircraft has three main variants. He F-35A It was developed for the US Air Force and most international operators. He F-35B It has a vertical takeoff and landing system. And the F-35C It is the naval version specially developed to operate to and from aircraft carriers.
Israel’s first contacts with the F-35 date back to 2003, when it signed a cooperation agreement. However, that country has not been part of the financing of the program, which is estimated to have cost more than 320 billion dollars. Most of the funds were provided by the United States, of course. Although the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Australia and Turkey also became economically involved. It is worth clarifying that the Turks were expelled in 2019 citing security concerns.
Despite not being part of the initial development of the F-35, Israel became one of the first interested in acquiring it. In 2006, the year in which the aircraft flew for the first time, the Air Force of that country publicly expressed its interest in adding it to its fleet. In addition, the Israeli government stated that it was willing to purchase 100 units of variant A.
But it wasn’t until 2010 when negotiations between the United States and Israel for the F-35 really got underway. It was there that Israeli defense authorities began to push for an agreement that would allow them incorporate its own technology into the multipurpose fighter. An idea that initially did not please the Pentagon, nor the countries that had invested in the development of the plane.
Israel gets its own variant of the F-35
Finally, Israel got what it was looking for: its own variant of the F-35. In 2010, Ehud Barak, then Minister of Defense, announced the acquisition of 20 F-35As, which would be renamed F-35I Adir based on the introduction of technologies developed by Israeli aerospace companies.
Although the first planes that arrived at the Israeli Air Force did not have many modifications, The United States promised to allow greater changes if there was a willingness to buy more units. In this way, the Asian nation placed an order for 75 aircraft, of which it has received 39 so far.
Regarding the modifications that Israel has made or plans to make to the F-35, specific details are few, considering the secrecy that surrounds this type of project. What has been mentioned publicly is that the Air Force’s idea is to implement its own communications system, an improved radar and electronic warfare instruments. At the time there was talk of developing exclusive weapons (air-to-air missiles and penetration bombs), as well as an electronic countermeasures device.
The actual extent of Israel’s planned modifications to the F-35 is still a matter of debate. One of the points that would have convinced the United States to allow the proposed changes to the stealth fighter would be the adoption of a system plug and play. It would allow new features to be added to the aircraft by connecting them directly to its main computer, as if they were complements or extensions. In this way, deep alterations would be avoided in the systems developed by Lockheed Martin.
What is a fact is that Israel became the first—and only, so far—international operator in receive a special version of the F-35 to use as a test bed. The aircraft arrived in the country in 2020 and, according to aeronautical experts, it allows the Israelis to have first-hand access not only to possible future modifications, but also to work on specific areas such as the engine and the fuselage, with a view to having independent capabilities for their maintenance.
International criticism
From the beginning, the United States’ “special treatment” with Israel regarding the F-35 was a source of criticism. First, because the 20 units initially purchased cost more than 2.7 billion dollars and were paid for with a financial aid package from the White House.
Let us not forget that, by law, the US government grants about $3.8 billion annually to Israel to allocate to its defense budget. This money is used to support the Israeli Defense Forces and some of its most expensive projects, such as the Iron Dome.
But not only that. U.S. allies that funded the JSF program, such as Canada, Italy and Denmark, have complained about the “industrial benefits” to which Asians would have access. According to him he published Globes In 2010, Lockheed Martin agreed to buy technology and developments for the F-35 from several Israeli aerospace companies in exchange for $4 billion. Among the beneficiaries would be IAI and Elbit Systems, just to mention a few.
At that time, the other nations involved in the program were baffled by the size of the agreement. The thing is that, for the most part, they had made heavy initial investments with the intention of guaranteeing juicy subsequent contracts for the stealth fighter systems. However, the plan seemed to fall apart.
Despite complaints, Israel quickly took advantage of the F-35. In December 2017, the aircraft formally began operating, while in 2018 the Air Force of that country became the first in the world to use it in combat.