US acts tough over integration of Israeli systems into F-35 JSF
17 Feb 2009
An ongoing flap over the integration of Israeli avionics and fighting systems into the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has spilled out into the open with a report in a prestigious aviation weekly highlighting the tensions between the two close allies over the issue.
Last week, in an interview with Aviation Week, Maj Gen Charles Davis, executive officer of the JSF programme, said that Israel would not be allowed to put its own systems in the F-35 JSF.
"They [Israel] are going to buy aircraft that have basically the same capability as all the others," Maj Gen Davis said. "They are trying to do a requirement analyses for future missions. That [customization] is doable through software. It is not doable by Israelis sticking boxes in the airplane. [Elbit and Elta being involved] is not an option," he says.
As has been the practice between the allies, Israel normally installs its own electronic warfare, radar, munitions and command and control systems into an aircraft citing special Israel Air Force operational requirements. It is only after such an agreement has been reached that the Israeli ministry of defence announces the purchase of a particular system from the US.
This has been the case with the F-15I and the F-16I.
However in the case of the JSF, the US refused to conduct negotiations with Israel until it committed itself to purchasing the plane. The Israeli's capitulated in October last year and notified the Pentagon of their intention to buy the aircraft. A formal purchase order is yet to be placed, however.
In turn, the Americans have refused to budge on the issue of integration of Israeli avionics into the aircraft. This refusal has led to Israeli defence companies, such as Rafael, Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary Elta lodging a protest with the MoD. In response, MoD director general Pinchas Buhris made a quick visit to Washington DC last month to discuss the issue with the Pentagon.
If the matter should prolong further it is likely that delivery of these fifth-generation stealth fighters will prolong beyond the announced date of 2014, senior Israeli defence officials have been quoted as saying.
Israel and the US are scheduled to sign a Letter of Agreement by the end of the year.
A report in the Jerusalem Post last week suggested that each plane was likely to cost Israel over $100 million, almost double the estimated $50-60 million that Lockheed Martin had initially claimed it would cost. Such cost escalation was likely to compel Israel to revisit its plans to place an order for 75 aircraft.
