Israel wants the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

By Charlie

John, over at the Weekly Standard, writes on Israel's attempted acquisition of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter:

Another "unique requirement" is that Israel has to penetrate integrated air defenses without the advantage of stealth technology. Stealth is the primary reason that the USAF has made Russian-built IADs their bit&* these past two decades. The air defenses that the United States overcame in Serbia and Iraq are similar to the ones fielded by Israel's enemies. While the IAF is skilled enough to pull off gee-whiz raids like Operation Orchard with bulky Strike Eagles, they have to beat radar coverage with sophisticated hacks or Wild Weasel missions. The JSF, with its shortcomings noted, fits the IAF's profile perfectly: slip in, break stuff, slip out.

Anyway, with Israel now facing Iran with a growing ballistic missile delivery capability, it is no surprise to me that they are seeking to update as much of their tech as possible.

What, John? You can't say "bitch" at the Weekly Standard?

December 19, 2007 05:49 PM Strategery

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Comments

The better question is can Israel really affod the F-35? And does the United States want to risk the inevitable technology transfer that will come from such a sale. Don't forget one reason that Chinese weapons are greatly improved is because IAI gave them a leg up in missiles and aircraft. Anybody remember when they were looking to buy the Phalcon AEW aircraft?

Skippy-san · December 19, 2007 08:39 PM

guess not!

John · December 20, 2007 12:40 AM

" with Israel now facing Iran with a growing ballistic missile delivery capability"

How does a short-ranged tactical fighter help them with this problem?

Lugo · December 20, 2007 05:54 AM