By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
A big roadblock has been lifted in the largest US weapons sale to Israel in years.
Two key Democrats – Rep. Gregory Meeks and Sen. Ben Cardin – have given their approval for the sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets, a deal valued at roughly $18 billion. Word of the agreement comes two weeks after an Israeli delegation signed a letter of agreement to buy 25 F-35 fighters from Lockheed Martin.
Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had held up the F-15 sale because of his unhappiness over the way Israel has been fighting in Gaza. He had demanded that the Biden administration show him that Israel had given assurances it would no longer engage in what he called the indiscriminate bombing of Palestinians.
But on Monday, Meeks relented. In a statement, he noted that he supports Israel’s “right to defend itself against the real threats posed by Iran and Hezbollah.”
Cardin, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had never publicly come out against the deal – but he delayed giving it his approval. A spokesman now says he backs it after the sale went through a review process.
Warrior Talks to Mr. Young Bang, Principal Deputy, Assistant Secretary of the Army – Acquisition Logistics & Technology
The next step is for the State Department to formally notify Congress of the intent to sell the planes to Israel.
The Israeli defense ministry asked for the F-15s a year and a half ago. The original request was for 25 of the jets, but the Israeli air force pushed for the order to be doubled. According to Breaking Defense, officials wanted more of the planes that could be loaded with weapons that are built to destroy hardened targets such as Iranian nuclear sites.
Israel will be buying the F-15EX. It currently flies a version of the plane known as the F-15I, which is similar to the F-15E Strike Eagle, and is seeking upgraded avionics for that jet (there also are 50 earlier versions of the F-15 in the Israeli Air Force arsenal).
The first of the new F-15s wouldn’t be delivered until 2028, although there’s talk Israel could ask to speed up the process.
Meanwhile, Israel’s F-35 purchase will give it a third squadron of the world’s most advanced fighter. The country had earlier ordered 50 of the planes, although only 39 have been delivered so far. Israel was the first country after the US to receive the F-35, taking possession of its first two in 2016.
As part of the agreement, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, which makes the engines, will give Israeli companies a role in building some of the parts. The deal is valued at $3 billion, which will be paid for by US military aid to Israel.
Israeli F-35s scored the plane’s first air-to-air victory in 2021, when they shot down two Iranian drones that were headed for Israeli airspace. Unspecified missiles were used in the engagement. The F-35 is believed to carry the infra-red guided AIM-9X and the radar-guided AIM-120 AMRAAM.
