Israeli and US government leaders joined Lockheed Martin to celebrate the rollout of the first Israeli Air Force F-35A Lightning II.
“Israel is proud to be the first country in the area to receive and operate it,” Avigdor Liberman, Israeli Minister of Defense said.
“The F-35 is the best aircraft in the world and the choice of all our military leadership at its highest level. It is clear and obvious to us and to the entire region that the new F-35, the Adir, will create real deterrence and enhance our capabilities for a long time.”
Brigadier General Tal Kelman, IAF Chief of Staff said: “As a pilot who has flown more than 30 years in a great variety of aircraft, I had the privilege of flying the F-35 simulator in Fort Worth and it was like holding the future in my hands".
"The unique combination of split-edge technology, lethality and the amazing man-machine interface will lead the world to the fifth generation."
Israel’s F-35, called Adir – which means “Mighty One” in Hebrew – will be a significant addition to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East region, with its advanced capability to defeat emerging threats, including advanced missiles and heavily-defended airspace. The F-35 combines advanced low observable stealth technology with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment support.
Israel’s program of record is 33 F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing, or CTOL, aircraft, acquired through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Israel’s contribution to the F-35 program includes: Israel Aerospace Industries F-35A wing production; Elbit Systems work on the Generation III helmet-mounted display system, which all F-35 pilots fleet-wide will wear; and Elbit Systems-Cyclone F-35 centre fuselage composite components production.