Three new F-35i “Adir” stealth fighter jets arrived this weekend at the Nevatim Air Base in the northern Negev.
The warplanes, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, landed at the Air Base on Thursday, bearing the IAF insignia and ready to join the 116th Squadron.
The new aircraft are part of an Israeli order for 50 aircraft; 39 have already been delivered.
Last June, the Defense Ministry signed an agreement with the US government for a third squadron of 25 “Adir” (F-35) aircraft as well.
Since the beginning of the war, the Adir squadron has accumulated over 15,000 operational flight hours and has participated in thousands of sorties across all theaters.
“Thanks to its operational experience and the versatility in missions and arenas that the aircraft allows, significant operational lessons have been learned,” the IDF said.
The Adir was originally designed to carry munitions in an internal weapons bay. During the war, however, a new capability was integrated at the Flight Test Center in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Program at the Pentagon, enabling the external carriage of JDAM munitions on the aircraft’s wings.
The Israeli Adir is the only F-35 in the world to have conducted operational strikes with an external weapons configuration, significantly increasing its strike capacity.
“The expansion of the Adir fleet represents a substantial enhancement to the tactical capabilities of the Israeli Air Force,” the IDF said.
