What makes Israel’s F-35I Adir, Very Special Stealth Fighter Jet
This month, three Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets arrived at
Israel’s Nevatim Air Base, bringing the Israeli Air Force’s total force to 33.
An additional 17 of the high-capable fifth-generation stealth aircraft are set to be
delivered, bringing the total number of aircraft in service in the Middle Eastern nation to 50.
Israel, which is the sole operator of the F-35 in the Middle East, last received three
of its planned order of F-35s in September 2021. Israel became the first foreign nation
to select the F-35 through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process when the Letter of
Agreement was signed more than a decade ago in October 2010. On June 22, 2016, the Israeli Air
Force received its first F-35A at a ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas facilities.
While the IDF, Israeli Defense Forces had been the first foreign military to
express interest in the aircraft, it raised the concern that the stealth capabilities