Israel Approves Purchase of Two Squadrons of F-35 and F-15 Fighters

SadaNews - The Israeli Ministry of Defense stated that it has approved the purchase of two squadrons of F-35 and F-15 fighter jets from the United States.

The Israeli Defense Minister commented on the fighter deal, saying that the lessons learned from the Iran War require ensuring our air superiority for the coming decades.

The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli ministerial procurement committee approved over the weekend the Israeli Defense Ministry's plan to acquire two new squadrons of fighter aircraft: a fourth squadron of "F-35" jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and a second squadron of "F-15A" jets manufactured by Boeing.

The value of these deals is estimated in the tens of billions of shekels and also includes the integration of the squadrons into the Air Force, comprehensive support, spare parts, and logistics services.

A statement from the Ministry of Defense indicated that this initial step is part of a force buildup plan for the next decade, for which a budget of 350 billion shekels has been allocated.

The approval was granted less than a month before the end of the war with Iran, with the possibility of renewal later.

The Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Amir Baram, stated: "We are committed to moving forward now to ensure the military superiority of the Israeli army for a decade or more. The combination of the diverse capabilities of the two squadrons will provide the Air Force with complete flexibility to handle various combat scenarios."