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For the first time since their arrival a decade ago, the F-16I "Sufa" fighter jets have been equipped with advanced Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), and will be the second model in the IAF to use them, following the F-15I The "Knights of the Orange Tail" squadron has acquired advanced small diameter bombs (SDB), a decade after the arrival of the F-16I fighter jets to the IAF. The SDBs, called "Barad Had" (Hebrew for "sharp hail"), are long-range guided bombs characterized by their accurate penetration capacity. The squadron has recently undergone an operational review to officially approve its use of SBD...

Israel is increasingly concerned with the military build-up in Iraq amid intelligence reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is solidifying its presence in the country, according to a senior IDF officer. Of particular concern is the Pentagon’s approval in late 2011 of the sale of 36 F- 16 multi-role combat aircraft to Iraq. The planes will be built by Lockheed Martin in the US and are Block 52 F-16s, meaning that they are of the same configuration as Israel’s F-16Is, called Sufa (Storm). “We are carefully watching the developments in Iraq,” the IDF officer said. “The possible developments...

IAF chief procurement officer: F35 will replace F16 The Israel Air Force plans is to buy over 100 Lockheed Martin F35s, costing at least $5 billion. Amnon Barzilai 21 Jun 06 10:15 The Israel Air Force (IAF) is completing its plan to replace its fleet of combat jets, transport planes, and helicopters, ahead of the IDF headquarters workshop for the formulation of its Keshet five-year plan. In an exclusive interview, IAF chief procurement officer Brig.-Gen. Zeev Snir told “Globes” that the key part of the plan was to procure the next-generation US combat jet, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Snir...

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 India may buy advanced Israeli aircraft By Khalid Hasan WASHINGTON: India may be buying Israeli-made advanced fighter aircraft, according to Defence News, an online military and defence news portal. In a Tel Aviv-datelined dispatch, it said, “Fighter jets vying for India’s $8 billion Medium-range Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme may have to make room for a late entry: the Israel Air Force F-16I Sufa, or Storm. In an unprecedented move aimed at sharpening its edge over fellow US and international competitors, Lockheed Martin is eyeing the F-16I as a low-cost, high-performance alternative to the French Rafale,...

The long-awaited Israeli F-16I Sufa (‘Storm') rolled off Lockheed Martin's production line in Texas last week into the waiting hands of Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who was on scene to receive the new aircraft, the first of 102 ordered by Jerusalem in 1997. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) chose to acquire the latest version of the world renowned Lockheed Martin F-16 over additional purchases of the more expensive twin engine Boeing F-15I - for which the IAF placed an order for 25 in 1997. The estimated $4.5 billion dollar F-16I deal ($45 million per aircraft) will be financed by...

In an interview in an Israeli newspaper this week, Giora Eiland, Israel's national security adviser, made a startling statement: November will be the "point of no return" for taking out the Iranian nuclear program

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 13: The defence relationship between New Delhi and Tel Aviv has deepened further with India and Israel agreeing in principle to hold joint air exercises involving US-made F-16s and Russian-built Su-30 MKI fighters. While the modalities of the first ever Indian Air Force and Israeli Air Force exercise will be decided by the executive steering group under the bilateral Defence Cooperation Group, Air Chief S. Krishnaswamy discussed the issue with his Israeli counterpart during his visit to Tel Aviv last week. The IAF chief interacted with Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz and Israel’s military top brass during...

February 19, 2004 The Core Avionics of the F-16I Airplane - Based on an Israeli Development by the Israel Air Force The F-16I, (or Sufa by its Hebrew name) aircraft, an enhanced version of the F-16, is produced by the American company "Lockheed Martin," and is one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world. It will become the leading aircraft of the IAF within the coming years. The F-16I represents a dramatic increase in operational capabilities; this is due to the advanced and varied combat systems that were integrated into the F-16I. One of the unique attributes of...

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon were in attendance Thursday as the first two in a new fleet of U.S.-made warplanes arrived at a air base in the southern Negev desert. The two F-16I jets are part of the biggest military purchase - at $4.5 billion - in the history of state. All told, 102 jets are to be delivered by the decade's end. The F-16Is would upgrade Israel's advantage over Arab foes and extend its reach over much of Iran, whose atomic development program is seen by many in Israel as an...

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- The Israel Air Force has quietly expressed frustration over its decision to accept a U.S.-origin radar for the new F-16I multi-role fighter. Defense officials and military sources said the choice of Northrop Grumman's AN/APG-68[V]9 synthetic-aperture multi-mode radar has dismayed both the service and the Defense Ministry. They said an evaluation by Israeli air force pilots of the U.S. radar showed it to be inferior to an indigenous Israeli radar designed by Elta Electronic Industries. Israeli pilots flew the F-16I in test flights in 2003 in the United States. "This was the most political decision ever made...

The first two of Israel's newest Sufah fighter planes, known also as Lockheed-Martin's F-16i, will arrive in Israel tomorrow. The jets were built in the United States in accordance with Israeli specifications, and are, according to Israeli pilots who have flown them in simulation, a "totally different world." Israel is scheduled to receive, over the next several years, 102 F-16i's, in a record $4.5 billion deal. The money comes from funds given Israel by the U.S. in military grants; Israel and Egypt are the two largest recipients of U.S. aid. The new Sufah (Thunderstorm) plane will strengthen the IAF's long...

Nov. 14, 2003 Israel gets new F-16I fighter/bomber By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN Pilots of the newest F-16I long-range fighter/bomber which is to roll off the assembly line in Texas Friday are itchy to get their hands on the $45 million jet. Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin delivers the first F-16I at its plant here Friday to an Israeli delegation led by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, fresh from his talks in Washington. The rollout ceremony marks the interim phase in this $4.5 billion dollar deal, the largest arms deal ever taken in the history of the state. Lockheed Martin won the tender, beating...

Pilots of the newest F-16I long-range fighter/bomber which is to roll off the assembly line in Texas Friday are itchy to get their hands on the $45 million jet. Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin delivers the first F-16I at its plant here Friday to an Israeli delegation led by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, fresh from his talks in Washington. The rollout ceremony marks the interim phase in this $4.5 billion dollar deal, the largest arms deal ever taken in the history of the state. Lockheed Martin won the tender, beating rival Boeing, in 1999 to supply 102 of the advanced fighter...

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz flies to Washington next week for key meetings with top US officials. Mofaz was to have visited Washington in September but that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon asked him to postpone the trip following the suicide bombings in Jerusalem's Cafe Hillel and army bus stop in Tzrifin. It was rescheduled so that the defense chief can participate in the rollout ceremony for the first new F-16 I fighter jet that aerospace giant Lockheed Martin will deliver next week in Texas. Prior to that, Mofaz will travel to Washington where he is to meet with his American counterpart...