Israel resumes flights for F-35I after inspection
Israeli Air Force fully resumed flights for its F-35I fighters after completing technical inspections following the crash of an American F-35B aircraft at the end of September in South Carolina, reported the press service for the Israel Defence Force.
“Israeli Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin ordered the return of the F- 35I to full activity in the Air Force after a professional inspection of all aircraft,” states a military communique. “Checks were done after the incident in the US, we emphasize that it occurred with an F-35B type aircraft that are not in service in the Israeli Air Force. In connection with this, the Israeli Air Force aircraft are returning to full operational activity,” added the military.
The Israeli military reported that they would test their newest fighters on October 11th. The United States Department of Defense earlier the same day suspended flights for the F-35 multirole fighter-bomber jets to conduct research on possible problems in the engines of all aircraft after the crash of the F-35B in South Carolina.
The Israel Defence Forces on December 6th,2017 accepted and began operational use of the first F-351 obtained from the USA, which they named Adir in the Israeli Air Force, which translates from Hebrew as “mighty.” Israel purchased 50 F- 35I fighters from the USA but so far they have received about ten of them.
Initially, Israel planned on ordering 33 of these aircraft from the USA, but at the end of November 2016, the government decided to obtain 17 more of these aircraft.