The agreement meant that Israel, which is not a partner in the project, has become the first country to order the troubled fifth-generation fighter.
'The F-35 will enhance Israel's ability to defend itself, by itself, against any threat or combination of threats, from anywhere within the Middle East,' Israel's ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, said.
The U.S. magazine Aviation Week asserted that Israel's F-35 would include a detachable fuel tank and interfaces for Israeli avionics on the aircraft's mission computer.
'It's not for nothing that we have options for additional aircraft,' Israeli Defense Ministry director-general Ud Shani said.
The LOA was signed by representatives of Israel and the United States in New York on Oct. 7. Under the agreement, Israel would procure up to 20 JSF platforms in the first stage of a deal estimated at up to $2.75 billion.
'The Lightning-2 [JSF] will strengthen Israel's national security posture both militarily and industrially,' L-M executive vice president Tom Burbage said.
Under the agreement, Israel would receive JSF from 2015 through 2017. The first batch of aircraft would be similar to those being developed for the U.S. Air Force and not include Israeli subsystems." (source)
