The Israeli air force plans to achieve full operational status of its Lockheed Martin F-35I “Adir” as soon as possible.
Air force technicians from the Nevatim air base are due to visit the USA just the delivery of the first two aircraft and will participate in a series of test flights Lockheed plans to perform at its Fort Worth, Texas facilities.
The test flights aim to familiarise the crew with maintaining the fighter and preparing it for a combat mission.
The “Golden Eagle” squadron technicians will also visit the US Air Force’s Hill base in Utah to observer operational procedures for the F-35.
Lockheed Martin
As reported by FlightGlobal in April, the first two F-35s for the Israeli air force are scheduled to land in Israel on 12 December.
Another six will be delivered in 2017, with the remaining 25 contracted examples to be delivered in the coming years.
Immediately after delivery, the Israeli-developed systems for the fifth-generation fighter will be installed in country.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
