Khaberni - The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced, on Sunday, that the Israeli military will purchase two new squadrons of fighter jets, following the approval of the Israeli ministerial committee for procurements.
The Israeli military stated, in a press release, that the ministerial procurement committee of the Israeli Ministry of Defense approved the purchase of the two new fighter squadrons at the end of the week, according to the official broadcasting authority.
It was clarified that the committee authorized the purchase of a fourth squadron of F-35 aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and a second squadron of F-15I aircraft produced by Boeing.
It was added that the value of these deals is estimated in the tens of billions of shekels (the dollar equals 2.9 shekels), and includes integrating the squadrons into the air force, providing comprehensive support, and supplying spare parts and logistical services.
This is the first step in implementing the force building plan, which was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, with a budget valued at 350 billion shekels (118.72 billion dollars), according to the military.
According to the military, the two new squadrons will form a fundamental pillar in the army's building for the coming decades, in dealing with emerging regional threats, and will enable Israel to maintain its aerial superiority in the region.
"The Arms Race"
This comes at a time when Israel continues its annihilation war on Gaza and aggression on Lebanon, violating ceasefire agreements in effect since October 10 and April 17, respectively.
It is also preparing for the possibility of resuming its war with the United States on Iran, which started on February 28, amid the likelihood of the existing truce’s collapse since April 8 between Tehran and Washington.
The Israeli Channel 12 considered the approval to purchase the fighter squadrons as part of an "arms race against Iran."
Quoting Katz, it was said "the operational lessons learned from the fight against Iran necessitate speeding up the pace of force development." He added that the war on Iran proved the decisive role of the air force, and the need for other battlefields to have these aircraft.
The General Director of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Major General Amir Bar-Am, who presented the plan for approval, spoke of the importance of integrating between the squadrons, in light of the stealth capabilities of the F-35 aircraft and the power of the F-15I aircraft.
He stated that this integration aims to provide the air force with full flexibility to face various combat scenarios during a security decade expected to be full of challenges, according to the channel.
The channel added that after the ministerial committee’s approval, the General Director of the Ministry of Defense instructed the procurement delegation in the United States to proceed with signing the agreements with the American administration and military officials. No information has yet been made available regarding the number of fighter jets to be purchased.
Following this deal, the Israeli military will have four squadrons of F-35 aircraft, and two squadrons of F-15I aircraft, according to Israeli army radio.
