IAF celebrates arrival of first two F-16I jets
by Arieh O'Sullivan - Jerusalem Post
Thursday, February 19, 2004 ----------------------------------------------------------
The air force on Thursday celebrated the arrival of the first pair of US-made F-16I fighter-bombers, which promise to expand Israel's strategic reach and boost its deterrence.
Ordered when the geopolitical threats against Israel loomed greater than today, the full squadron of 24 jets won't be here until the end of the year and will only become operational gradually. It will take until 2008 for the delivery of the entire package of 102 jets, for a total of four mighty squadrons.
(...)
"This is a magnificent aircraft and is a perfect example of the synergy that comes from the collaboration between our nations," said USAF Col. Timothy Murphy, the US military attache in Tel Aviv. "It is a wonderful combination of United States industrial capacity and Israeli ingenuity... It stands before us today as the newest symbol of the close and continuing relations between our countries and of the US commitment to the defense of Israel."
Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, a week after visiting the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany, spoke of the contrast between the defenseless Jews of Europe and the might the of the Jewish nation today, represented by the F-16I.
(...)
Israel is paying for the aircraft from the $2.2 billion it receives annually in US military grants. It also provided more than $2b. in purchases from Israeli defense industries.
"The addition of these jets to the air force adds might, deterrence, and capabilities that we did not have previously," Halutz said. "I hope we won't need them...."Long-range, advanced weaponry, top-of-the-line communication links, and the ability to operate in all weather conditions are only some of the capabilities of the Sufa," Halutz said.
(...)
Pilots are excited not only with the F-16I's weaponry, but its Pratt & Whitney F-100 engine.
"I have flown for years on F-16s, and I thought I'd feel like I was in another F-16," said Maj. Hanan, a deputy squadron commander. "But the moment you have the engines running it is another world. It's a lot stronger and heavier. It's like driving in a new American car compared to a Subaru."
--------------------------
Read the rest
here.