The Israel Air Force's first F-35s are en route to the country to be greeted in an elaborate ceremony, and one was filmed refueling mid-flight on Thursday.
The first two planes departed from Texas this week and had their first stopover on Tuesday in Portugal's Azores Islands. Over the weekend, the two Americans piloting the planes and their refueling tanker will make a further stop in Italy before arriving on Monday in Israel. Israel is set to receive 19 such planes in the near future.
F-35 refuels
(צילום: דו"צ)
The two F-35s are to be greeted, according to the IDF, by a ceremony the likes of which the country has not seen since the IAF received F-15s 40 years ago. Held at Tel Nof, the ceremony is to include the F-35s flying over the crowds before landing on the runway. There, senior IDF officers will affix the IAF insignia on the planes as a symbolic act of the aircraft joining the Jewish state's air force.
The F-35s have been subject to considerable disparagement .Its price ($80 to $90 million per plane) relative to the advanced F-16 warplanes, its flight range and its limited ability to fly undetected by enemy radar were all criticized.
The aircrafts were officially received at a ceremony in Dallas, Texas, in June. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman participated in the ceremony, where he addressed around 400 guests.
“The State of Israel is proud to be the first in our region to receive and operate the plane,” said Lieberman. “This is the most advanced plane in the world and the best decision of the security apparatus is to preserve air supremacy. It is obvious and well-known to us that the F-35 will serve as deterrence and increase our military abilities for a long time to come.”