US, Israel agree on most major issues in troubled procurement process
08:35 GMT, July 13, 2009 Israel is now very likely to become part of the exclusive family to operate the world’s next advanced fighter aircraft, the F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Last week, the Israeli Air Force submitted an official Letter of Request (LoR) to the Pentagon for the procurement of 25 F-35s which will form the IAF’s first JSF squadron, as reported by an Israeli newspaper at the end of last week. The fighter, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is expected to replace some of the aging and battle-proven F-15s and F-16s currently in service in the Israeli Air Force (IAF).
Scheduled to be signed in early 2010, the contract, worth an estimated $100 million per aircraft, will formalize the purchase of 25 F-35s in the A version, which is the conventional take-off and landing configuration. The actual final price, as well as the integration of Israeli systems, is still being negotiated, according to defence officials. The first aircraft are scheduled to arrive in Israel in 2014. In a second procurement stage, the IAF plans to purchase an additional 50 aircraft of which some would be delivered in the STOVL (short take-off, vertical landing) B configuration.
The deal for a foreign military sale (FMS) of F-35s, as well as associated equipment and services to Israel, had been negotiated in late 2008 with all contract options amounting to a total of $15.2 billion. Along with Singapore, Israel joined the programme as a Security Cooperative Participant (SCP) with the agreement to buy an initial 25 aircraft and an option for a further 50.
Pushing the deadline
The negotiations for the delivery, as well as the integration of domestically designed systems on the F-35, have seen considerable turbulence as Israel originally pushed for delivery of the aircraft by 2012. Yet, the date had to be postponed due to rising costs for the aircraft from $60 million to $100 million. Furthermore, Israel’s requirement to install its own radar, munitions, electronic warfare and command-and-control systems had been refused by the US government. Also, the Israeli condition to be allowed to independently maintain the plane in the event of a technical or structural problem has been an issue.
According to senior IDF officers, the Defence Ministry and the Pentagon have reached understandings on most of the major issues that have been at the core of disagreement between the sides.
A question of timing
For Israel it is also a question of national security. The F-35 is expected to enhance the IAF’s capability of countering potentially growing air defence threats in Iran and Syria. As press sources report, a series of computer simulations has shown that the stealthy fighter may outperform the Russian-built S-300 air defence system. The latest S-300 version has a range of up to 195 kilometres (approx. 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters to 27 kilometres. It is considered one of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defence systems, comparable in performance to the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system.
Therefore, the time slot for a much-discussed pre-emptive attack against Iran’s nuclear programme is rapidly closing and the Israeli’s push for the aircraft becomes comprehensible.
Interestingly, an official press release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency in September 2008 carefully acknowledged Israel’s national security concerns, closely linked to U.S. national interests: “Our policy has been to promote Middle East peace, support Israeli commitments to peace with other regional Arab countries, enhance regional stability and promote Israeli readiness and self-sufficiency. It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability.
“Israel needs these aircraft to augment its present operational inventory and to enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capability. Israel will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces. The proposed sale will not affect the basic military balance in the region.”
However, the last sentence may prove to be wrong. Perhaps it will provide Israel with just the right means to carry out an airstrike against Iran. As defpro.com reported in May 2009, a study outlined the limited but nevertheless probable options of such an Israeli strike (see: http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/312/). The F-35 may become one of the critical keys to the successful execution of such an extremely risky enterprise. Yet, the JSF may not be delivered in time, as the integration of Israeli systems and the indispensable training of the pilots may require more time than the tactical window for an airstrike offers.
Nicolas von Kospoth
