The US military is laser focused on the F-35, an aircraft that has a LOT of issues still….
The F-35 has not seen any combat by America…
(Israel is thought to have used it its first two received once in combat)
The Israel Air Force HAS been using it’s Boeing F-15 ‘s for a considerable amount of time….
While the media played up President Obama and Israeli President Netanyahu’s personal scraps?
Obama was signing off on a $7 Billion increase in military aid to the country….
The Israeli’s have been upgrading the larger F-15 platform to carry out more complex missions even while it acquires some F-35’s….
Israel regards its F-15 fleet to be the backbone of its attacking capability. As such, it is considering the purchase of additional F-15s.
The F-15 line will be open at least until 2020 due to the recent Boeing contract with Qatar.
If the air force decides to purchase additional F-15s, it is likely to rely on a U.S. Foreign Military Financing package approved by Washington in 2016. It begins in 2019 and provides $38 billion over 10 years, up from $31 billion over the last decade.
In a parallel effort, Israel is working hard to regenerate and drastically upgrade some of the nine ex-U.S. Air National Guard F-15Ds that previously served with the 173rd Fighter Wing in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
These aircraft were donated as part of a still active multibillion-dollar aid package to Israel. Some of these older F-15s will be upgraded, according to sources, “to a very advanced configuration.”
Since the F-15D (Baz) was introduced into service with the Israelis, it has been upgraded continuously, used as a capable multirole fighter for counter-air, ground strike, reconnaissance and especially as command-and-control and networking platforms to support long-range strike missions.
The clear tendency in the Israeli Air Force is to first purchase additional new F-15s and only then consider whether to fulfill the original plan of 75 F-35s.
In November 2016, the Israeli cabinet approved the purchase of another 17 Lockheed Martin F-35s, for a total 50 of the stealth fighters.
Israeli sources say talks continue with the U.S. Defense Department about the potential purchase of 20-25 advanced F-15s…..
More…
top image….F-35…Air Forces Monthly
bottom image…F-15…thedrive