- Plan targets “Israel’s air superiority”: Defense Minister.
- Netanyahu pledges to increase defense budget to $118 billion.
- Israel to build revolutionary ‘blue and white’ planes: PM.
Israel on Sunday approved a multibillion-dollar deal to acquire two squadrons of fighter jets from the United States, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying it would “strengthen” its air superiority.
The purchase includes a squadron of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 multirole stealth fighters and another Boeing F-15IA fighter jet, the Israeli Defense Ministry said.
The plan aims to “guarantee Israel’s air superiority for decades to come,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
“The F-35 and F-15IA acquisitions are at the heart of the ‘Israel Shield’ plan, which aims to give the IDF (the Israeli army) a lasting qualitative advantage,” he said.
The F-35, a joint project of the United States and several allies, is one of the most advanced military aircraft in the world. Israel already operates several dozen of these planes.
Netanyahu said he would strengthen Israel’s “overwhelming air superiority” but pledged to start building its own weapons and fighter jets.
“Our pilots can reach anywhere in Iranian skies and are ready to do so, if necessary,” he said.
“Over the next decade, we will add 350 billion shekels ($118 billion) to the defense budget in order to manufacture such weapons in Israel and not depend on foreign suppliers,” he said.
“At the same time, we will develop revolutionary blue-and-white aircraft. This will be a game-changer,” he said, using a term for products developed in Israel.
The Israeli Air Force played a central role in the war in Gaza, carrying out one of the most intense aerial bombardment campaigns in recent history.
Thousands of strikes targeted what Israel said were Hamas positions, including tunnels, command centers and rocket launch sites, but large areas of the densely populated territory were devastated, including homes, hospitals and schools.
Israel also fought two wars against Iran in less than a year, during which its air power was used for long-range strikes deep into Iranian territory.
Israel recently approved its 2026 budget, which includes a multibillion-dollar increase in defense spending.
Israel’s military spending has continued to increase since the start of the Gaza war.
