JERUSALEM - Israel is in talks to build the wings for about a quarter of the United States’s new F-35 stealth fighter aircraft, an Israeli official said on Monday.| A friendly reminder to the Mad Mullahs™ of Tehran: this is what a true technologically advanced state does. Enjoy, and don't look up ... |
An Israeli official who declined to be named said state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries would build the wings. “We are in advanced talks for the IAI to produce around 800 sets of wings,” he told Reuters.
Earlier this month Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak approved in principle the purchase of 20 of the radar-evading fighters, in a deal worth $2.75 billion.
Israeli and US officials expect final approval of that deal by the end of September. The planes would be delivered in 2015-2017. The cost of the purchase would be covered by an annual US defence grant of $3 billion. Israel would be the first foreign country to sign an agreement to buy the F-35 outside the eight international partners that have helped to develop the plane.
Israeli and US officials with knowledge of the deal said Israel has an option to buy a further 55 aircraft.
“Israel possibly will end up building a significant portion of the F-35,” said one US official familiar with the deal.
An Israeli official said reciprocal purchase deals worth $4 billion had been secured for Israeli companies for their participation in the planeÂ’s manufacture and might be increased to $5 billion although it would be conditional on Israel exercising its option to buy the additional 55 planes.