The Ministry of Defense, continuing its countdown to the December 2016 arrival of Israel’s first F-35s, last week completed its semi-annual data summary.

In the framework of the industry cooperation agreement signed in 2010 by the Defense Ministry’s Procurement Department and the plane’s manufacturers led by primary contractor Lockheed Martin, NIS 3.8 billion ($993 million) worth of reciprocal procurement transactions have thus far been signed. Since December 2015, new deals amounting to 835 million NIS have been signed, marking a 28% jump in reciprocal procurement.

Since the start of 2016, the Israeli defense industries have succeeded in increasing its contracts with Lockheed Martin on the project:

-Israel’s Elbit Systems and the American Rockwell Collins increased contracts for the manufacturing of the Generation III helmet-mounted display system by approximately $190 million.

-Israel Aerospace Initiatives (IAI) expanded its production of the wings by roughly $26 million.

Other Israeli industries involved in the manufacturing of the aircraft subsystems and operating software and training include: SimiGon, the developer of the aircraft simulation program, Tadiran (Elbit Systems), the supplier of radio amplifiers, Cyclone, producing parts of the body of the plane, Cabiran will produce boxes for the aircraft’s systems, and Gilboa will specialize precise machinery.

Deputy Defense Ministry Director General and Head of Procurement, Brigadier-General (res) Shmuel Tzucker: “We are proud of the achievements of the defense industry from the first half of 2016, which has injected hundreds of millions of shekels to the Israeli defense industries and, in particular, to enterprises in the Carmiel, in Kibbutz Cabri and other towns along the “confrontation line” in the North. We turned to the following reciprocal transactions and will work to cross the billion-dollar threshold in the near future.”

Background: The F-35 fighter aircraft, also known as the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), or in Israel as the ‘Adir’, is a fifth generation stealth fighter. The plane is manufactured in three models: Model A, conventional takeoff and landing, Model B, short takeoff and vertical landing, and Model C, operational from aircraft carriers. The Ministry of Defense purchased Model A aircraft for the Israeli Air Force (IAF) but will implement its unique capabilities and advanced Israeli weaponry.

The F-35A Adir will be a significant addition to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East, with the advanced capability to defeat emerging threats, such as advanced missiles and heavily-defended airspace through its combination of low-observability and sensor fusion. The F-35 combines advanced low observable stealth technology with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)