Towards the Rolling Out Ceremony of the 'Adir'
Thus far, Israel had ordered 33 F-35 stealth fighters, which will be
integrated into the 'Network IDF' layout. Special report by Dan Arkin from
Fort Worth, Texas
Dan Arkin | 21/06/2016
http://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/content/towards-rolling-out-ceremony-adir

There is an understanding between Israel and the United States that Israel
needs 17 additional F-35 fighters (IAF designation 'Adir'), beyond the 33
already ordered, to form a 50-aircraft fleet. However, a senior defense
official told Israel Defense that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is interested
in 75 stealth fighters in total. Tomorrow (Wednesday), a rolling out
ceremony of the first stealth fighter designated for the IAF will take place
in Fort Worth, Texas. The ceremony will be attended by the Israeli Defense
Minister Avigdor Liberman and the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office
Tzachi Hanegbi, until recently chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee.

The decision regarding the 17 additional aircraft will be made at a later
date. It will be dependent in part on the progress of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) between Israel and the United States and on Israel's
defense budget. Under the MOU between the two governments, the Americans
have agreed to sell Israel 75 F-35 fighters (comprising three squadrons).
Thus far, as stated, Israel had purchased 33 aircraft.

The first purchase agreement includes 19 'Adir' fighters, at a total cost of
US $2.7 billion. The first two aircraft are to be delivered during the
second half of 2016, and will be used to train pilots at the Luke Air Force
Base in Arizona. The first jets are scheduled to touch ground at the Nevatim
Air Force Base in December 2016, and the rest of the planes will arrive to
Israel in 2017-2018. In November 2014, the Israeli government decided to
purchase 14 additional aircraft for the second F-35 squadron to be
established in 2019. Lockheed Martin confirmed that the IAF would like to
purchase 50 aircraft in total. (In comparison: Lockheed Martin has provided
Israel with 102 specially designed F-16I aircraft, which was Israel's sixth
acquisition of F-16. Israel possesses the largest fleet of F-16's outside
the US).

Cooperation of defense industries: The collaborations of Lockheed Martin
with Israeli industries, which are valued over four billion dollars, include
800 pairs of wings produced at IAI's 'Lahav' plant; the pilot's helmet,
which is produced in cooperation with Elbit Systems and Rockwell Collins;
and other systems developed by leading Israeli companies. Other major
collaborations are expected with the Pratt & Whitney engine manufacturer.

Network: The F-35 will be integrated into the "Network IDF" plan. The pilot
of the stealth fighter will not only see what his aircraft sensors
recognize, but a composite image of data, collected by other aircraft and
transmitted in secure networks to commanders and decision makers. A fifth
generation aircraft such as the F-35 allows the pilot to launch munitions
before the enemy ever sees it coming.

Identifying Threats: the 'Adir' is equipped with a multi-purpose radar and
electronic steering. Special sensors are scattered throughout the plane and
provide, using sophisticated algorithms, a complete picture of the threat
environment and the presence of friendly forces on the pilot's helmet visor.

Simulators: full flight simulators for training the F-35 pilots are due to
arrive at the Nevatim Air Force Base in 2017 and will be identical to the
real aircraft, including the 3D screens in the cockpit. Lockheed Martin
claims that 60 hours of simulator training are sufficient for a pilot to be
able to fly operational missions in the F-35.

Pilots: The first F-35 squadron was appointed a commander and five other
pilots, who will undergo special training in the US. This team should train
the future pilots of the first squadron, which will be comprised of 19
aircraft.

Cost: The estimated cost of the F-35 model to be supplied to Israel is US
$85 million. The cost of the aircraft dropped by 57 percent compared to the
cost of the first manufactured aircraft.

Experiments: So far, there have been several successful experiments,
including the launch of an air-to-air guided missile, the dropping of a
GBU-32 type JDAM and the dropping of another 900-kg bomb on a target in the
California desert.