via Alert 5 from the Jerusalem Post.
The defense establishment will hold a series of high-level consultations over the next month with the aim of determining, by the end of July, whether it will buy the fifth-generation stealth Joint Strike Fighter.Prediction. They'll buy the airplane and if my hunch is correct they'll even buy a batch of B models. Israel is feeling besieged right now. I imagine that Lockheed Martin might get that vaunted high rate production. I can easily see the Israeli's buying their airplanes in the less than full capability mode that the Marines will be operating.
The first meeting will be held in the coming weeks and be led by IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.- Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi as well as OC Israel Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan. The second meeting, scheduled for the end of this month, will be led by Defense Ministry director-general Udi Shani. The final meeting, scheduled for July, will be headed by Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Despite a recent round of JSF-related talks between Israeli and American officials, the parties have yet to reach an agreement regarding the sale of the plane to Israel.
The F-35 will be one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world and, according to the IAF, would significantly boost Israel’s deterrence in the region.
PS.
Alert 5 (I love those guys) also dropped this tidbit. Canada is expected to purchase the F-35....without competition.
