Israel has approved plans to purchase F-35 and F-15IA fighter jets for its military, with the country's Defense Minister saying his mission is to ensure the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are ready to operate anytime and anywhere.
The Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that the deal to build two new fighter squadrons with Lockheed Martin and Boeing was worth tens of billions of dollars.
The deal, approved by the Israeli Procurement Ministers Committee, is the first step in a 350 billion shekel ($119 billion) plan to strengthen the Israeli military and "strengthen readiness ahead of a challenging decade for Israeli security," the ministry said, citing Al Arabiya from Reuters (4/5).
Further explained, the squadron will serve as a foundation for the development of long-term military strength, overcoming regional threats and maintaining Israel's strategic air superiority.
"In addition to the urgent need for war procurement, we have a responsibility to act now to secure the IDF's military superiority ten years from now and beyond," said the ministry's director general Amir Baram.
The recent war with Iran "reinforces how important the US-Israel strategic relationship is, and how important advanced air power is," he added.
Under the deal, Israel will buy a fourth squadron of F-35s from Lockheed Martin and a second squadron of F-15IA fighter jets from Boeing.
In December, Boeing won a $8.6 billion contract for Israel including 25 new F-15IA and options for 25 more.
Baram said the next step was to continue finalizing the agreement with the US government and military partners.
The US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, but a ceasefire has been in place since April 8.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz said the Iran conflict showed the air force's strength and its important role in protecting Israel.
"The lessons from the campaign require us to continue to increase our strength, to ensure air superiority for decades to come," he said.
Israeli aircraft have also attacked Iranian-backed Hamas militants in Gaza and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Defense Minister Katz said the new plane would result in a significant technological leap in integrating autonomous flight capabilities, next-generation defense systems, and building Israel's military dominance in space.
"Our mission is clear: to ensure the IDF has the equipment, capabilities, and strength to operate anywhere, anytime," Katz said.
"We will continue to invest, grow stronger, and stay one step ahead of our enemies - to keep Israel safe today and in the future," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
