DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Moves Forward On Second JSF Squadron
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 12, 2012: The IDF plans to approve the procurement of a second squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at a meeting of the General Staff later this month that will convene to finalize the military’s multi-year program.
Called Oz (Hebrew for Strength), the new multi-year program is scheduled to go into effect towards the end of the year. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz will oversee deliberations on the program over the next few weeks and will bring the final plan to the government for approval.
One of the plan’s key elements is expected to be the procurement of a second squadron of F-35s despite reports of possible delays and a rise in cost.
On Tuesday, the US Senate Armed Services Committee questioned the quality of production of the aircraft by Lockheed Martin citing a “potentially serious issue” with its electronic warfare capability.
“The committee is... concerned about production quality and whether it is sufficient to ensure the delivery of JSF aircraft to the US and its allies at an affordable price,” the committee said in a report accompanying its fiscal 2013 defense budget bill.
Israel placed an order for its first squadron of F- 35s in October 2010 for $2.75 billion. Under the deal, Israel was supposed to receive 20 aircraft but the number could drop due to the rising cost per plane. The aircraft are expected to begin arriving in Israel sometime in 2017.
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