The Israeli military has been debating the advantages of stealth versus
long-range firepower as part of the F-35 decision. Some analysts said
stealth was too costly and would require a wait of at least five years while
Israel's F-15 and F-16 fleet could be upgraded with a range of advanced
weapons and subsystems.
Israel has been examining a Letter of Agreement from the United States
to purchase 19 F-35s for as much as $2.7 billion. The Defense Department has
demanded an Israeli decision by September 2010, Middle East Newsline reported.
In mid-August, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, fresh from meetings
with Pentagon officials in Washington, was expected to decide on JSF. On
Aug. 11, Barak was scheduled to chair a meeting of senior officials and
commanders on the LoA before relaying the document to the Cabinet.
Eiland, a former National Security Council chief and a consultant to the
military, has argued that Israel would be wasting billions of dollars by
purchasing JSF, expected to cost at least $160 million per unit. He said
the Israel Air Force would benefit from upgrading and deploying advanced
air-to-ground missiles on its existing F-15 and F-16 fighter-jet fleet.
"If we continue to use the very advanced [versions of the] F-16 and F-15
and upgrade some of the systems, we could save so much money that we could
buy other important systems like ground-based missiles," Eiland said. "And
you can use more [air-launched] standoff weapons because they have extreme
precision and a very long effective range."
Eiland, in a statement to the U.S. magazine Aviation Week, envisions
Israeli investment to develop a capability to fire salvoes of long-range
AGMs toward Iranian or other enemy facilities. He said JSF would not
contribute to such a strategy.
In contrast, former Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz has
advocated the purchase of the F-35. Halutz, also a former Air Force
commander, said Israel would require a smaller and stealth fighter-jet
fleet.
"The [shrinking] force structure problem points us toward fewer, but
more sophisticated platforms," Halutz, forced to resign after the 2006 war
in Lebanon, said. "The F-35 fits this trend exactly. If its performance is
as advertised, it will allow us to cope with a shrinking budget and force
size."