The Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that it had signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) to acquire the third F-35 squadron for the Israel Air Force, another key step in a process that has been inching forward for years.
A ministry statement said that the agreement was signed by Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Mishel Ben Baruch, head of the ministry’s delegation, and that it includes 25 F-35 aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin, complete with support and maintenance services.
Expanding the fleet to 75 aircrafts
Furthermore, the statement said that with the completion of this program, the Air Force will expand its fleet from 50 to 75 of these advanced stealth aircraft.
Moreover, the delivery of the aircraft to the IDF is set to commence in 2028 at a rate of three to five aircraft per year.
The transaction is valued at approximately $3 billion, funded by US Foreign Military Financing (FMF).
The announcement of the deal appeared to resolve objections and a multi-round political dispute between Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, who had demanded oversight, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who called Smotrich’s interventions political and irresponsible.