F-35 – www.israelhayom.com

US envoy: F-35 deal breakthrough within 6 months

miriw — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:00:56 +0000

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Burke said Friday he believes the obstacles preventing US approval of F-35 fighter jet deliveries to Turkey will be resolved "within four to six months," according to remarks at a conference in Abu Dhabi, quoted by Bloomberg.

The F-35 was developed as part of an international project that included several countries, among them Turkey, but it was removed from the program in 2019 after purchasing S-400 air defense systems from Russia. Since then, Turkey has been trying to return to the project and acquire the advanced aircraft for its aging fighter fleet.

US Air Force F-35 Lightning IIs fly side by side with Republic of Korea Air Force F-35s as part of a bilateral exercise over the Yellow Sea, Republic of Korea, July 12, 2022 (Photo: US Air Force/Senior Airman Trevor Gordnier /Reuters) via REUTERS

Burke said in Abu Dhabi that the fact that the systems in question are not operationally active has eased some of the US concerns, but they remain in Ankara's possession, which makes resolving the issue difficult.

"I believe these issues will be resolved within four to six months," Burke was quoted as saying, and when asked whether Turkey is close to removing the Russian air defense system, he answered "yes." Since Trump returned to the White House, he has demonstrated close friendship with Erdoğan, despite growing tensions between Ankara and Jerusalem, which he promised to resolve.

Trump has expressed willingness to sell the advanced aircraft to Turkey, but during Erdoğan's visit to Washington in September, he said Erdoğan "will have to do something for us" to bring the deal to fruition.

Since its removal from the program, Turkey has been working on several parallel tracks to renew its fighter fleet: a deal to purchase 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Britain and Germany, purchasing new F-16 aircraft and upgrading existing ones, and developing its own fighter jet – the KAAN – which is expected to enter service by 2028, according to Turkey.

Turkey and the US are the two owners of NATO's largest militaries, and on Turkish territory is located Incirlik Base – one of America's most important bases in the Middle East. Nevertheless, Turkey has maintained balanced relations with Russia over the years, even after the invasion of Ukraine, and frequently presents itself as a possible mediator in talks and has hosted them in the past.

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The US leaves, the F-35 stays

omrif — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:30:03 +0000

Trump at Obama

"You don't understand the Americans at all," says a senior Middle Eastern official. "You look at Saudi planes as a potential future threat. The United States, by contrast, counts all the American planes it has sold to countries in the region as a shared air force of a foreign power: the Middle Eastern defense alliance."

It's a long historical process, but the United States is leaving the Middle East. America now produces more oil than any other country in the world and is no longer beholden to local embargoes. The two great American traumas of this century are tied to the Middle East: 9/11 dragged the US into the region, and the Iraq War dragged it out.

The Middle East is a region to avoid, President Obama said when justifying breaking his promise to protect the Syrian people from Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons. In that sense, Donald Trump is a surprising successor. He simply proposes a withdrawal that is more elegant, smarter, and less naïve. Instead of appeasing Iran, he places an iron wall against it. Indeed, that regional alliance protected Israel from two wild Iranian missile onslaughts in 2024.

"Don't think about Jerusalem," the official suggested. "Think about Tehran. When they see a war machine like the F-35 in the Middle East, will they interpret it as a local Saudi air force or as a de-facto American base?"

All this makes good sense regarding Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and it explains Israel's silence compared to past uproars when a friendly Republican administration tried to sell weapons to Riyadh. Then it was Ronald Reagan with the F-15s, and the one who helped him was Democratic Senator Joe Biden.

But this is certainly not the case with Turkey. Ankara is doing everything it can to help the Iranians get around the sanctions, and there is no reason to believe that one day it will help Israel with air defense — perhaps the opposite.

Israel believes it succeeded in blocking the sale of the jets to Erdogan, and in linking the supply of F-35s to Saudi Arabia to a normalization deal. If an air force is being built in the region against Iran, perhaps the bases should also set up communication systems with one another.

Wait for the next government

The main quality that separates leaders from ordinary citizens is the ability to distinguish between the essential and the trivial. A journalist can tweet in the morning in favor of drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the IDF, at noon in favor of eliminating Hamas, and in the evening propose a broadly agreed-upon constitution. But prime ministers must set priorities. And when you're high up at the top, the less important thing is sometimes of supreme importance itself.

Such was the story of drafting the Haredim during the war. It was infuriating to hear that senior members of United Torah Judaism called the Finance Ministry in the first week of the war to make sure the transfers to the yeshivas continued uninterrupted. It was galling to listen, over the past two years, to the collection of nonsense spouted by Haredi MK Yitzhak Goldknopf, the spokesman for the shtetl mentality. It was awful to see the signs declaring, "We will die before we enlist."

At the same time, it was clear that running head-first into the ultra-Orthodox wouldn't lead to mass Haredi enlistment, but more likely to the collapse of the government and, as a result, a halt to the war. In other words, national defeat, leaving Hamas and Hezbollah standing on their feet. This is hard to swallow when you're a reservist tearing yourself apart in Gaza, or a reservist's wife buckling under the enormous burden, but had this struggle succeeded in the past year, it would have turned into a Pyrrhic victory — useful idiocy in the service of those seeking Israel's defeat.

Goldknopf. Photo: Oren Ben Hakoon

In the same breath, perpetuating the current situation now, after the war has ended, is useful idiocy in the service of those who support draft dodging. The army will not survive, and neither will the economy, unless major changes are made to Israel's incentive structure. Today, it's designed entirely to create conditions that allow Haredim not to show up for military service — and, as a result, not to participate in the labor market.

The law proposed by the coalition, nicknamed the "Bismuth Law," will not cure the problem. The prime minister promises it will bring 10,000 ultra-Orthodox soldiers within two years. May it be so. In practice, the law imposes sanctions only if fewer than 7,500 Haredi soldiers are drafted in those two years. Subtract another thousand national service volunteers counted as soldiers, and you reach 3,000 soldiers per year — the exact number drafted this year, without the law.

And in exchange, the sharpest sword ever placed against the neck of the ultra-Orthodox leadership will be lowered: personal and institutional financial sanctions — and under a fully right-wing government. For the first time, the Haredim are truly backed against the wall. If the goal of the legislation is political survival and extending the government's lifespan, the law is excellent. If the goal is to save the economy and national security, it is far from sufficient.

There is no reason to believe the situation will somehow resolve itself, because the Haredi worldview does not seek to shape the direction of the state, but rather to use it. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has a plan for what to do with the country on the day religious Zionists become the majority. Yair Golan has a vision for a secular-liberal state if the left returns to power. The ultra-Orthodox do not — because their way of life is unsustainable. It relies on subsidies and budgets from "the state," but what will happen when they are the state? In all the demagogic arguments about Torah study, Tel Aviv draft-dodgers, who contributes more — Army Radio or Ponevezh Yeshiva — there is no answer to the question: Dear ultra-Orthodox, what is your business model?

In an attempt to reduce the burden on those who do serve, many initiatives are now emerging to improve the conditions of compulsory service, career military service, and reserve duty. The finance minister is pouring in billions. This is important and morally right, but irrelevant to the acute problem at hand. Why, for example, does a family in which one spouse does not work receive a significant discount on municipal taxes? I am not referring to the involuntarily unemployed, but to those unemployed by choice. If you want to study Torah, good for you — but why should other residents of your city fund it?

The answer is because the ultra-Orthodox parties hold 18 seats in the current Knesset and keep the coalition majority afloat. Without them — and because of the "anyone-but-Bibi" obsession — Netanyahu would not have a government, and Israel is unlikely to have achieved its astounding military successes from Beirut to Tehran. But with them, a law that would bring real enlistment of the Haredim cannot be implemented.

The Bismuth law proves it: all immediate economic sanctions were removed. What remains? A ban on flying abroad and a ban on a driver's license — in short, codifying into law exactly what every yeshiva head wants from his students. The definition of "who is ultra-Orthodox" has been significantly watered down, the requirement for combat soldiers has disappeared, and oversight was given to a joint IDF-Haredi committee, both of whose members have extensive experience bending the truth. In the previous round of negotiations, even Druze soldiers were counted as ultra-Orthodox in order to meet the quotas.

This government cannot pass a real draft law. Even the outline discussed on the eve of the Iran war in June was an agreed-upon fraud: the ultra-Orthodox did not intend to abide by it, and Yuli Edelstein, then-chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, did not intend to settle for it.

There will be no compromise, and in a few years, thanks to demographics, it will already be too late to steer the Israeli ship away from the iceberg. The next government will have to look the mission straight in the eye, not look away. Until then, supporting the current law is buying time for a coalition in its twilight days, at an unbearably high price for Israeli society.

At the head

Suppose an alien force lands in Israel and encounters Israelis opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu. "Take me to your leader," it commands them. With whom would they schedule a meeting? Who is leading, coordinating, and heading the anti-Netanyahu camp on the eve of an election year?

If it's the parliamentary opposition, its undisputed leader is Yair Lapid. But in the polls, his Yesh Atid party is stuck on a single-digit number of seats. As for the political opposition, the leader is actually Naftali Bennett, head of the largest party in the bloc for over a year. But is he accepted by everyone — from Yair Golan on the left to Avigdor Liberman on the right? Gadi Eisenkot, for example, is not sure Bennett is the leader, otherwise he would already have joined him.

There is, of course, the far more effective opposition of 2023 — the street opposition. Its leadership is on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, but its support in 2025 is shrinking.

So maybe the real opposition leader is Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara? If you check who has succeeded in blocking or delaying the greatest number of government actions, whose photo is carried at anti-government protests, who is the subject of strange articles of admiration in Netanyahu-critical media — then the attorney general certainly passes the test, alongside Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit and several other senior jurists. This is why the right gained ground after the military advocate general scandal. When the opposition stumbles, the coalition grows stronger.

Golan, Liberman, Lapid and Gantz

Such a concentration of forces would usually provide a critical mass to topple a government. The problem is that the forces are not concentrated at all.

In November 2023, the first Mano Geva poll after the outbreak of the war was conducted. Netanyahu's bloc received only 41 seats — a low not seen since the 1960s. In November 2025, the bloc received 52 seats, regaining half its strength, and its trajectory is apparently upward. In the November 2023 poll, Netanyahu was tied with Lapid in suitability for prime minister. Now he receives twice the support. Two years ago, he trailed Benny Gantz by 16 percent; now they don't even bother checking Gantz due to his irrelevance.

The right strategy against Netanyahu is not always a head-to-head confrontation. In fact, the only time he lost power — in 2021 — was when it wasn't at all clear who was running against him for prime minister. But there is a difference between decentralization and total fragmentation.

If the anti-Netanyahu bloc wants to miss an open goal, it should continue behaving exactly as it has until now. If it wants to stop its deterioration and produce an alternative government, it will soon have to settle on a front-runner and an agenda. Lapid wants to do this by pushing Bennett rightward and Golan leftward, so that he can be exactly in the center of the bloc. Bennett himself wants to unite quickly with Eisenkot to stand head-to-head against Netanyahu.

Either way, if they don't come to a decision, the elections may be over for the opposition before they have even begun.

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US officials: Saudi F-35s will be downgraded despite Trump's assurances

omrif — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:01:51 +0000

US officials and defense experts told Reuters on Wednesday that the United States will sell Saudi Arabia F-35 jets in a downgraded configuration compared to those provided to Israel, in line with US law that guarantees Israel's regional military superiority.

The White House announced its approval of the sale earlier this week, but officials clarified that the Saudi jets will not include the advanced capabilities of the model used by Israel, including high-end weapons systems and electronic warfare equipment.

These comments contradict statements made by President Donald Trump during his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which he said: When you look at the F-35, I think it will be similar. Israel is a great ally, and so are you. I know they want you to get a downgraded model, that probably does not make you happy. I think you are on the same level.

Mohammed bin Salman, Trump and Netanyahu. Photo: AP, AFP

Israel has unique authorization to modify its F-35s, allowing it to integrate its own weapons systems and add upgraded radar-jamming and other enhancements. Other operators are barred from making such changes.

Reuters also reported that even if Saudi Arabia receives the jets, it will likely not receive the advanced AIM-260 air-to-air missile now in development for fifth-generation aircraft. Douglas Birkey, a senior director at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Reuters that the missile's range of more than 200 kilometers makes it the most sensitive technology associated with the F-35. According to Reuters, the missile will likely be offered only to Israel.

Reuters noted that Israel will also retain a clear numerical advantage, as the Israel Air Force has already ordered a third squadron of F-35s. Saudi Arabia, by contrast, would be limited to two squadrons that would not arrive for several years. In addition, Israeli pilots have far greater operational experience with the aircraft and its systems.

F-35 jet. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

US officials told Reuters that before the deal can be finalized, a formal assessment will be required to evaluate any potential impact on Israel's Qualitative Military Edge. The sale also requires approval by Congress, and one official assessed that strong support for Israel on Capitol Hill could jeopardize its approval.

On the other hand, officials noted that Israel wants Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and wishes to avoid tensions with President Trump. Blocking the deal in Congress would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers, a threshold considered extremely difficult to achieve.

The sale would place Saudi Arabia in the same category as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which have also been offered F-35 jets. Those deals remain stalled over disputes regarding delivery schedules, aircraft capabilities and US concerns that China could gain access to advanced American technology.

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The Saudi offer to Israel – and the price it will pay

ErezL — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 08:30:25 +0000

The inability to reach agreements on a start date for direct talks with Israel regarding Saudi Arabia normalization has delayed the final US approval for the sale of F-35 aircraft to the kingdom and several clauses in the defense agreement between Washington and Riyadh.

Sources in Washington said that despite the positive atmosphere in the talks and the success in reaching agreements on Saudi investments in the US and other civil matters, security issues remain unresolved and contacts on the subject will continue. Regarding normalization with Israel, the Saudis presented a stubborn position stating they would be ready to begin talks only upon the full conclusion of the war, through the completion of Phase B of the Donald Trump plan.

The American response was that the Saudis are giving Hamas veto power, as Hamas refuses to advance to talks or disarm, partly due to Iranian pressure on several regime officials. Iran aims to torpedo or delay such normalization, which strengthens the regional alliance against it.

A second demand raised by the Saudis is the full establishment of the path to establishing a Palestinian state. Reports indicated that Israel, meaning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, must publicly confirm his commitment regarding this clause in the Donald Trump plan and the Security Council resolution. As Israel Hayom revealed, Riyadh made clear in early contacts that it could not sign onto joining the Abraham Accords and normalization with the government in its current composition, meaning with the right-wing parties of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

This concerns not only statements by the right-wing MKs against a Palestinian state or Saudi Arabia itself, but mainly their push to expand the settlements. A Saudi diplomatic source told Israel Hayom that it is clear to the Saudi leadership that in the current government, Netanyahu will struggle to advance the basic conditions for promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Saudis do not rule out talks with Israel soon, and even reaching agreements on civil and economic matters – but they rule out normalization and official accession to the Abraham Accords with the current Israeli government.

An Arab diplomatic official said the prevailing assessment is that such official talks would begin with the war's conclusion phase, but unofficial talks and contacts between the countries would continue and even accelerate before then, due to pressure from Donald Trump. "We estimate that the acceptance of Saudi security requests, or at least most of them, will be announced then," the official said. The official referred here to the supply of advanced weapons types, including F-35 stealth aircraft.

US President Donald Trump greets Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, during a dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 18, 2025 (REUTERS/Tom Brenner)

Regarding the issue of selling the advanced aircraft to Saudi Arabia, Israel did not object in principle but asked the US for two things. First, Israel asked to supply the Saudis with models that do not possess the most sophisticated systems available for the aircraft. Donald Trump said Tuesday that in his opinion it is possible to give Saudi Arabia and Israel the same systems, but the Pentagon and the State Department believe Israel's qualitative edge must be preserved in this aspect.

The president added that Israel is aware of the entire issue of the aircraft sale, and it will be very satisfied with the results of this move, meaning it will gain in other places. The second request is receiving specific security items and access to technologies that until now existed only in the hands of the US military and were not sold to Israel. There is some progress here, although the entire request was not fulfilled.

An Israeli security official criticized the diplomatic level for not sharing the management of contacts with the administration with the relevant security echelon, noting that in the past this level was involved in talks such as these. The official said the approach to the security echelon occurred only after the objection in principle to the sale had already been removed.

President Donald Trump and Mohammed Bin Salman (Backdrop: An F-35) / Yissachar Ruas; AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The IDF, incidentally, is not very concerned about the sale of F-35 aircraft to Saudi Arabia, as the Israeli qualitative edge lies in the levels of technology integration of the aircraft with other technologies and systems, as well as in the much higher skill of the Israeli pilots.

In the diplomatic bottom line, Israel has swallowed a bitter pill in the form of consent to the "path to a Palestinian state" clause. It will swallow another bitter pill or two regarding weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region. The first and major return, the hostages and remaining in Gaza, has been accepted. Now the diplomatic return is awaited, though its political price will be high.

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Trump: US will sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia

omrif — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 06:50:26 +0000

US President Donald Trump said the US intends to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, a statement issued ahead of his meeting at the White House on Tuesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Earlier, a senior White House official told Reuters that Trump was inclined to support the sale of the American-made F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia. Trump and the crown prince are expected to review the prospective deal as well as steps toward normalization with Israel.

F-35 jet. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Speaking to reporters several days ago, Trump said he planned to discuss political and security cooperation with the crown prince, including a possible Saudi move to join the Abraham Accords. He noted at the time that the kingdom was interested in acquiring a large number of advanced fighter aircraft.

Trump stressed that Saudi Arabia had formally asked to examine the purchase of F-35s and that the request was now under his consideration. He said the US produces the best aircraft in the world and added that past American actions in the Middle East had demonstrated that superiority. Since the strike on Iran's nuclear capabilities, he said, everyone now wants to negotiate with Washington.

He also referenced the Abraham Accords, saying they would be part of the discussions with Riyadh. He expressed hope that Saudi Arabia would join the initiative soon and claimed that interest in the accords had surged since the US had, in his words, taken Iran out of the game.

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How a Saudi-US F-35 deal could shatter Israel's unmatched air dominance

ErezL — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 10:00:28 +0000

Since the early 1990s, the United States committed to ensuring Israel's qualitative military edge in the Middle East. That principle, formulated during the Clinton administration and reaffirmed over the years by both Republican and Democratic governments, served as an unwritten red line: Israel would receive more advanced, more precise, and earlier systems than any Arab country, even if that country was considered "friendly".

This week, that red line may face its biggest test in decades, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's planned visit to Washington and the expected US approval for the F-35 deal to the kingdom.

The Americans have always viewed the Saudis as an important strategic partner, but the idea of supplying the stealth fighter – the only fifth-generation jet operated by any country in the Middle East (Israel) – was seen until recently as a line best not crossed. The reason is simple: the F-35 is no longer just a fighter jet. It is an intelligence, strike, and electronic platform that enables penetration into spaces that were previously impassable, and it is a source of security, diplomatic, and strategic power not only in the local arena but also in the broader regional balance of power.

The stealth fighter entered Israeli Air Force service as a result of a long, complex, and sometimes politically sensitive process. Although the F-35 was born as a large-scale international project led by the United States called JSF – Joint Strike Fighter, Israel was not included in the first group of countries that participated in it.

F-35 aircraft fly in Israeli airspace (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The main reason was that the Americans carefully examined the combination of industrial partnership and security sensitivity: Israel was not a producer in NATO frameworks, and it was known as a country that makes deep modifications to almost every air platform it acquires. From Washington's perspective, there was a need to carefully examine whether Israel's modification requirements would not endanger particularly sensitive technological components. Only at a later stage, after a prolonged process of secret coordinations and technological protection mechanisms, did Israel join as a special procurement partner and not as a full member in the JSF coalition.

The US president who essentially approved the sale of the stealth fighters to Israel was George W. Bush. His administration made the principled decision to allow Israel to acquire a fifth-generation jet, out of the understanding that the rise in regional threats – including Iran – requires Israel to have a significant qualitative advantage. The actual agreement was signed during the Obama administration, which continued this policy and gave the green light to the first order. Israel was indeed outside the circle of countries that contributed to the development of the tool, but it became the first customer in the world to receive Washington's approval for deep Israeli modifications in the avionics systems, electronic warfare, and connectivity.

The first Adir landed in Israel on December 12, 2016, at Nevatim Airbase, in a ceremony that made clearer than anything the significance of this acquisition for Israel. For the first time, the Air Force received a jet capable of entering almost any point in the Middle East with little warning, generating independent intelligence, and carrying out precise strikes with a level of survivability higher than that of any other tool. It gave Israel an advantage that is not only technological but also conceptual: the Air Force moved from an era where it had to "break into" enemy airspace to an era where it can operate within it with relative ease.

Since 2016, three batches of jets have arrived in Israel. Today, the Israeli Adir fleet numbers about 36 F-35 jets integrated into squadrons at Nevatim. The Israeli government has already approved the purchase of another 25 jets, which will bring the operational strength to more than 60 jets. There are also discussions about further expansion later this decade, among other things to ensure a response to new threats and the replacement of some of the veteran fourth-generation jets.

The F-35 Adir (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The combination of operational flexibility, stealth capability, unique Israeli electronic warfare modifications, and natural integration into national control systems created a new reality: the stealth fighter is no longer just a component in the Air Force but an overlay layer that gives Israel freedom of action that no one in the arena holds, and continues to shape Israeli combat doctrine even today.

In Israel, especially after Operation Rising Lion, the significance of this process is even clearer. In the campaign that lasted 12 days and spanned thousands of kilometers, the F-35 was the tool that changed the rules of the game. It enabled deep penetration into Iranian airspace saturated with radars, missile batteries, and electronic warfare capabilities without the need to open a route through a wave of preliminary strikes. It provided real-time intelligence, sensor fusion that creates a continuous battle picture, and surgical strike capability on targets essential to the nuclear program – and all this while maintaining almost complete stealth. Israeli pilots described how they saw Iran's defense arrays "waking up", if at all, only after the strike had already been completed. That was a moment that illustrated how much this tool changes reality, and how much the Israeli advantage on it is not only tactical but essential.

This is exactly where the Israeli concern lies. If Saudi Arabia indeed joins the select club that holds the American stealth fighter, the implication is not just another advanced jet in the region; it is a change in the basis of the balance of power. Not because Saudi Arabia is an enemy state, today it is seen as a potential strategic partner, but because the qualitative advantage is a resource that must be maintained over time, especially in a region where the balance of alliances can change in a few years, if not months.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his tour of an F-35 squadron (GPO/Ariel Hermoni)

Israel needs unique technological depth, one that cannot be closed in two or three years. And if Saudi Arabia is indeed equipped with the stealth fighter, it will be the first time an Arab country receives access to a technological generation equal to that of Israel. In the past, Saudi Arabia requested – and received AWACS and F-15 jets from the US, but Israel managed to impose certain restrictions on the Saudi jets, thereby leaving a technological advantage in its hands.

Supporters of the move argue that Israel holds an advantage of many years over any country that enters the deal now. They point to its extensive operational experience, the unique hardware and software modifications it has made, and the complementary capabilities – intelligence, communications, and logistical capability that other countries are still far from holding. The QME mechanisms (ensuring qualitative edge), they remind, do not erode in one day. But on the other hand, there are those in Israel who warn that these gaps are not a given. Technology is a dynamic matter, and from the moment the door opens, it is hard to return it to full closure.

In this reality, Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington becomes a top event. The US president's decision will not approve just a deal – it will define the contours of air supremacy in the Middle East in the coming decade. The fact that in Israel they use examples from Operation Rising Lion to gauge the significance of the stealth fighter only sharpens the tension: Israel knows very well what the F-35 allows it to do. It also knows what will happen the day these capabilities reach its large, wealthy, and ambitious neighbor.

Either way, the discussion is not about Saudi Arabia. It's about Israel, about a longstanding American commitment, and about the question of whether the era of Israeli exclusivity in the stealth domain is about to come to an end – or whether Washington will find a way to preserve the additional edge on which Israeli security policy has relied for three decades.

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Why Saudi F-35 deal matters for Israel, US and Middle East

omrif — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Saudi Arabia is on track to join the small club of countries operating the F-35. Trump signaled overnight between Friday and Saturday that the deal is moving forward. What makes this aircraft so special, and why is Israel worried?

The F-35 entered operational service in the US in 2015 after development began in the mid-1990s. The jet, produced by Lockheed Martin, is considered one of the most advanced in the world. Technologically, it belongs to the exclusive fifth-generation class, alongside the American F-22 (currently barred from export), China's J-20 and Russia's Su-57. On the commercial side, its actual competitors are upgraded fourth-generation aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, France's Rafale, Sweden's Gripen and advanced models of the F-16.

Israeli F-35 jet. Photo: Reuters

Israel was the first country outside the US to receive the F-35, which entered operational service in the Israeli Air Force in December 2017 under the name Adir.

Prices vary by model but generally range between 80 million and 100 million dollars per aircraft, depending on configuration and quantity. Costs have fallen significantly over the years as production processes improved.

Finalizing the Saudi purchase has clear implications for the Middle East and for Israel. Jerusalem has long feared that Israel's qualitative military edge could erode. Trump sees the deal as part of a broader move to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, as he said ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House this week, and also as a way to generate American jobs.

Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jets. Photo: IDF Spokesperson IDF Spokesperson

Turkey, led by President Recep Erdogan, which arguably concerns Israel even more, also wants to acquire the advanced jet. Ankara was once a full partner in the F-35 program but was removed in 2019 after purchasing Russia's S-400 air defense system, a decision that angered Washington.

Since then, Turkey has been trying to return to the program, and Trump did not rule it out during his meeting with Erdogan.

This week, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon is worried about the Saudi deal. The concern stems from Riyadh's close ties with China, which could potentially gain access to the jet's sensitive technologies.

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Saudi push for F-35 Jets nears breakthrough

omrif — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:30:33 +0000

The Trump administration is considering Saudi Arabia's request to purchase up to 48 F-35 fighter jets. The potential multibillion-dollar deal has recently passed an important stage at the Pentagon ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's upcoming visit, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters.

The F-35 sale would mark a significant policy shift that could alter the military balance of power in the Middle East, and prompt a reassessment of Washington's commitment to maintaining Israel's "qualitative military edge."

Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jets. Photo: IDF Spokesperson IDF Spokesperson

One source and a US official said that Saudi Arabia directly approached President Trump earlier this year after years of showing interest in Lockheed Martin's stealth fighter. The Pentagon is now examining a possible sale of the aircraft, although the scope and status of the request have not yet been publicly disclosed.

The US officials emphasized that no final decision has been made and several stages remain before approval, including cabinet-level consent, Trump's signature, and formal notification to Congress.

Far-reaching implications. Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia. Photo: AP

The Pentagon's policy office has been working on the potential deal for months, and it has now reached the desk of the secretary of defense, one of the sources said. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson noted that such arms sales occur strictly between governments and fall under Washington's jurisdiction.

The US reviews all arms sales in the Middle East under a policy aimed at ensuring Israel's military superiority, an approach that guarantees Israel access to more advanced American weaponry than that sold to other states in the Middle-East.

The F-35, equipped with stealth technology that enables it to evade enemy radar systems, is widely considered the most advanced fighter jet in the world. Israel has operated the aircraft for nearly a decade, forming several squadrons, and remains the only Middle Eastern nation with the system in service.

Saudi Arabia, the largest buyer of US weaponry, has sought for years to acquire the jet as part of efforts to modernize its air force and counter regional threats, particularly from Iran. The current request, which would allow Riyadh to establish two F-35 squadrons, comes as the Trump administration signals readiness to deepen defense cooperation with the kingdom. The Saudi Air Force currently flies a mix of Boeing-made F-15s and European-built Tornado and Typhoon jets.

Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia. Photo: Reuters

The F-35 issue is also linked to broader diplomatic efforts. The Biden administration previously explored offering the jets to Riyadh as part of a comprehensive deal that would include Saudi normalization of ties with Israel, but those efforts stalled when the war in Gaza began.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has made arms sales to Saudi Arabia one of his top foreign policy priorities. In May, the US agreed to sell Riyadh a weapons package worth nearly $142 billion, a deal the White House described as "the largest defense cooperation agreement in Washington's history."

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Israel's new plane: Hovers like a butterfly and stings like a bee

ErezL — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 07:52:48 +0000

The Blue Sky Warden aircraft, the result of a collaboration between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the US company L3Harris Technologies, embodies an innovative concept in light strike and reconnaissance aircraft. It is an enhanced iteration of the US Air Tractor aircraft, which is originally a farming workhorse and an aerial firefighter, and also serves in Israel in the "Elad" squadron, the aerial firefighting squadron.

The new version of the aircraft will be adapted in Israel for intelligence, observation, and light strike missions, with an emphasis on low operating cost, prolonged air endurance, and fast response. The choice of a durable, light, and simple-to-maintain platform provides a solution for the needs of the Gaza and Lebanon borders, where continuous aerial presence is required, but not necessarily supersonic interception or the operation of expensive fighter jets.

The approach led by Israel Aerospace Industries relies on rich experience in converting civilian platforms for military purposes – such as the Westwind (Shavit) that was converted into a maritime intelligence aircraft, the Eitam and Oron models, which are advanced intelligence aircraft based on Gulfstream business jets, the Arava, as a dedicated light transport aircraft, and the Kfir, and the Nesher before it, which were based on the French Mirage 5 plans, that were refined, developed, and produced by Israel Aerospace Industries. Especially remembered is the daring, unsuccessful attempt to produce an advanced and independent Israeli fighter jet, the Lavi, whose development was halted by the US administration.

In addition, many Gulfstream business jets were manufactured, developed, and assembled in collaboration with the IAI. The cooperation focuses on the production of specific models like the G280, whose development and production are carried out by IAI, and other models produced in the past, such as the G100 (Astra), which were designed by the Israeli side. The IAI is also a world leader in converting passenger aircraft, such as the 777, into cargo planes.

Video: The OA-1K Skyraider II / Courtesy

The integration of advanced Israeli systems into the new aircraft, such as open mission interfaces, encrypted communication, electro-optical sensor pods, and a dedicated doctrine, turns the platform into a modern tool capable of integrating into the IDF's operational network and providing constant awareness, fast response, and precise operational capability along the borders. The Blue Sky Warden is not a replacement for fighter jets like the F-35 or for an escort force, but a flexible addition to the aerial mix. It allows field commanders to monitor patterns, direct interceptions, and respond to changing targets, all without straining expensive fighter jets or luxurious drones. In fact, it returns the routine missions that take the most significant resources of the Israeli Air Force to cheap and reliable platforms.

Similar platforms exist in the international arena – the AT-802 from Air Tractor, the Brazilian Super Tucano (Embraer), the US OV-10 Bronco, and the IOMAX Archangel – all demonstrating the trend of using light aircraft, sometimes agricultural, that have been converted for strike and reconnaissance missions. On the heavier side is the US A-10 Thunderbolt II, which illustrates the challenge in preserving dedicated strike platforms against advanced threats.

In the US, a debate has been ongoing for years whether to keep the A-10, the slow but deadly strike aircraft, in service, or to prefer a small, high-capability fleet. Behind this argument is a fundamental dilemma: How to balance cost, flexibility, and survivability in an era where advanced air defense systems threaten the operational freedom of fighter jets. The choice of the US Special Operations Command of the military version of the Sky Warden, called the OA-1K Skyraider II, is a clear response to that problem. Even when it is inefficient to send heavy and expensive aircraft on a mission, it is still possible to achieve intelligence control and limited strike capability using a simple and cheap platform.

Israeli and US officials signing the deal to acquire the Blue Sky Warden (L3Harris Technologies)

In Israel, the need is similar, but more geographically focused: not strategic superiority thousands of kilometers (thousands of miles) away, but a reliable presence along the border fence. If the Blue Sky Warden succeeds in this mission, it may become a significant tool in the IDF's toolkit. It will not be a glittering air symbol like the F-35 Adir or the Ra'am F-15I, but a diligent worker that will prevent dozens of small crises and save expensive flight hours.

The F-35 Adir (IDF Spokesperson 's Unit)

Alongside its advantages, the Blue Sky Warden also has clear limitations: It is vulnerable to modern air defense threats and is therefore effective mainly in sectors where the aerial risk is limited. Its success depends on meticulous mission planning, quality intelligence, and wise integration into the overall array, while maintaining a high cost-benefit ratio. The choice of this aircraft continues an Israeli tradition of adapting existing solutions to changing operational needs, and combines advanced engineering capabilities with simple operational logic aimed at improving Israel's security efficiently and significantly.

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Erdoğan-Trump game-changer? Why Israel's air superiority is at stake

ErezL — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:55:58 +0000

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to visit the White House for the first time in six years, bringing with him a series of agreements intended to repair the fractured relationship between the two NATO member states.

The meeting on Thursday with President Donald Trump is expected to clear the way for Turkey to acquire everything from Lockheed Martin and Boeing aircraft to liquefied natural gas worth more than $50 billion, according to Turkish officials, who requested anonymity because the agreements have not yet been finalized.

The largest portion of the potential agreements on Thursday is expected to be in aviation. Boeing and Lockheed Martin may receive orders for up to 250 commercial airplanes along with additional F-16 fighter jets, Turkish officials said. The purpose of the new aircraft purchase is to modernize the Turkish air force's aging fighter fleet and adapt it to the challenges of the coming decade.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his tour of an F-35 squadron (GPO/Ariel Hermoni)

More importantly, Trump said last week that there is a chance to resolve the long-standing impasse regarding the F-35 stealth jets. Turkey was an original partner in the Lockheed's most advanced fighter jet program, but was removed after it acquired Russia's S-400 air defense system. This acquisition resulted in congressional sanctions, known as CAATSA, which are directed at Turkey's defense industries and still remain in effect.

Dr. Assa Ophir, a Turkey expert from the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Ariel University, explained, "The issue that should concern Israel most is Turkey's desire to rejoin the stealth jet project and receive the F-35 aircraft. The US expelled Turkey from the program in 2019 because of its purchase of the Russian S-400 defense systems. Stealth jets in Erdoğan's hands could lead to the loss of Israel's air superiority in the region, and this is a very undesirable outcome for it."

However, Dr. Ophir said, "But the path for Turkey's return to the stealth project and the receipt of the aircraft is still long. Erdoğan will need to overcome two serious obstacles that do not depend solely on Donald Trump – CAATSA, which imposes sanctions on all countries that buy military equipment from Russia, and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), both of which are laws that must be passed through the US Congress where there is a hostile atmosphere toward Turkey."

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