US Signs $3 Billion Deal Providing 25 More F-35 Fighter Jets to Israel

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Despite recent diplomatic fissures over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, the United States on Tuesday officially signed off on a $3 billion deal to provide Israel with 25 additional F-35 fighter jets, bringing to 75 the total number of coveted US stealth planes provided to Israel, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. Tuesday’s deal ensures Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East, and is funded by US military aid.

Built by American aerospace and defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the jets will be delivered in groups of three to five a year, starting in 2028, TOI reports. delivered starting in 2028, in batches of three to five per year, the ministry says. So far only, only 39 of Israel’s original order of 50 F-35s have been delivered.

Israel is the first non-American country to have received the F-35 plane, and the first to acknowledge using it, SimpleFlying reports. Moreover, Israel is one of very few countries allowed to modify the jet for its needs.

In a statement about the new deal, Lockheed Martin said it was “pleased by the Israeli government’s decision to procure 25 additional F-35s,” TOI reports.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense said in a separate statement that the deal is “another illustration of the strength of the strategic alliance between the US and Israel and its extensive effects in arenas near and far.”

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