Testbed aircraft key to Israel’s enhanced F-35
As the introduction of Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-35 Adir fighter aircraft begins to gather pace, the pending arrival of a testbed aircraft will spur the upgrade of the fleet with Israeli-developed content.
The second IAF F-35 squadron was inaugurated on 23 January and to date 20 aircraft have been delivered. The service now expects the delivery of a one-off Lockheed Martin F-35 testbed aircraft in mid-2020, together with six additional aircraft as part of the 50 under contract.
The IAF has prepared a list of weapon systems and ‘functional’ systems that it intends to test on this special F-35
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
Anduril UK and GKN Aerospace collaborate on British Army ACP bid
The pair will submit their demonstrator concept for Project Nyx, a development project for the British Army’s Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform.
-
US Army command’s Picatinny CLIK common lethal drone interface makes progress
The Picatinny Common Lethality Integration Kit is designed to overcome the issue of unique integration methods between lethal payloads and drones as well as avoiding problematic acquisition conditions created by vendor lock.
-
Australia invests extra A$1.4 billion in MQ-28A Ghost Bat after successful missile fire test
The investment includes new contracts for six MQ-28A Ghost Bat aircraft, as well as provisional funds to invest in the development of a Block 3 prototype.
-
US approves potential $4.7 billion missile and air defence system sales to Denmark and Italy
Italy could field the JASSM-ER for its combat aircraft including the F-35, while Denmark has been approved for AMRAAM and an Integrated Battle Command system procurement.
-
Northrop Grumman to fly new Project Talon CCA by late 2026
The newly unveiled collaborative combat aircraft looks to strike a balance between capability and cost-effectiveness, according to the company.