Lockheed Martin and officials of the Ministry of Defense of the State of Israel celebrated last week the start of the assembly procedure for the first F-35A "Adir" ("mighty" in Hebrew) which will be produced by the American aerospace company for Israel.
The 5ª generation multi-role fighter designated as an AS-1 aircraft has been assembled in its four main components at theElectronic Mate and Assembly Station approaching to take its last form; it is expected to be ready to be delivered and enter into force at the IAF, theIsraeli Air Force, next June.
Israel has ordered 33 F-35 in version A which provides for Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL). Israel's contribution to the F-35 program includes the production of wings for aircraft, for part of theIsrael Aerospace Industries, work on the 3ª generation helmet components that all F-35 riders will wear, for part of the Elbit Systems Ltd. of Haifa, and the production of 16 composite elements that will be part of the fuselage from theElbit Systems-Cyclone F-35 center.
The F-35A 'Adir' will be a significant introduction to the qualitative maintenance of Israel's military capability in the Middle East. It will allow, through the combination of 'Stealth' technology, speed, agility in combat and latest generation weaponry, to face and defeat the possible emerging threats in the airspace and on Israeli soil.
Aharon Marmarosh, Israeli representative of the mission in New York said: "These 5th generation aircraft will significantly improve the capability of the IAF to defend the State of Israel against the serious threats it faces", adding that this date marks " a new beginning for Israel's tactical aviation ".
Jeff Babione, F-35 program manager of Lockheed Martin continued: "Lockheed Martin is proud of its relationship with the Israeli armed forces. The F-35A Adir will strengthen our solid relationship with the IAF by ensuring the strength of the Israeli military aviation that will remain so for decades to come ".
(photo: Lockheed Martin)
