The acquisitions include 50 F-15IA fighter jets, upgrades for 25 F-15I aircraft, 30 AMRAAM missiles, 50,000 mortar cartridges, 32,739 tank shells, and a fleet of modified tactical vehicles, according to recent defence sales notifications from the U.S. government.
The most substantial of these deals is the $18.82 billion contract for 50 F-15IA aircraft and the upgrade of 25 F-15I jets.
According to the U.S. Defence Security Cooperation Agency, the sale will “enhance Israel’s interoperability with U.S. systems and bolster Israel’s aerial capabilities to meet current and future enemy threats.” The prime contractor for this deal is Boeing, with deliveries expected to begin in 2029.
In a separate $102.5 million deal, Israel will acquire 30 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM). The notice states that these missiles are vital for Israel’s air defence, particularly against airborne threats such as drones and missiles.
The U.S. government also noted that the sale “will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future enemy threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats.”
Israel is also investing heavily in its ground forces. A $774.1 million contract will see the delivery of 32,739 120mm tank cartridges, including High Explosive Multi-Purpose (HEMP-T) and Anti-Tank (MPAT) rounds.
The U.S. government notice claims that this acquisition will “strengthen Israel’s homeland defence and serve as a deterrent to regional threats.” The main contractors for this deal are General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Northrop Grumman Defense Systems.
Additionally, Israel is set to receive 50,000 120mm High Explosive mortar cartridges under a $61.1 million contract. The U.S. notice states that this purchase is intended to “improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future enemy threats.”
To support its logistical operations, Israel is purchasing modified M1148A1P2 tactical vehicles in a deal worth $583.1 million. According to the U.S. government, these vehicles are designed for “long and short-distance freight transport, unit resupply, and other missions in the tactical environment to support mobile combat units.”
All these deals reflect the close military cooperation between Israel and the United States, with U.S. officials making clear that these sales are “vital to U.S. national interests” and “consistent with the objective of assisting Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defence capability.”
Go Israel! Show Two Tier Keir and his cronies how it’s done.
You do realises if this contract runs over say the next 5 years ( which would be about right for 50 aircraft) then essentially the US taxpay will be funding almost all of it not Isreal…as the IDF gets 3.3billion in military aid a year from the U.S. and has done for a very very long time….
It’s interesting the UK as the one ally that supported the U.S. throughout its war on terror spending untold billions and shedding blood…it never got a penny….
Go Isreal show the UK what a two Tier foreign policy the US has…..
It also demonstrates arms embargos don’t work, a country will get arms from someone else usually the US or France but more increasingly China.
Its not clear if this additional to the aid they get. They will be burning through current weapons stocks. And I don’t think they have received all their F35s which are a few quid 😀. So some of that aid is committed already I would think.
Israel is a bit of headache for the government, especially if there’s a full blown conflict and Israeli civilians start getting hit with Iranian missiles and proxy ground incursions, we’ll need to decide on how to react or not at all. Its steadily becoming a bigger and bigger part of their vote base which are anti Israel so defending Israel will risk vote share. Those who don’t take a particular view on Palestine will see it as an Islamic State attacking what is widely regarded as a democratic state with largely western values ie they drink, go out partying, etc. We could argue the nuances of that given the conflict but that’s how it may well be seen by many.
It’s it difficult situation…unfortunately behind everything is a set of extremists willing to undertake ethnic cleansing…making it a bit of a nightmare for the west…added to the fact is that Isreal will trigger the Sampson option if it is overrun makes it tense to say the least
Also Isreal has alway been unclear on how far Israel would take the Sampson option..some of the more hardline Jewish military, commentators and academics have made some pretty provocative statements in regards to the Sampson option ( as in they would bring the whole temple down…not just Arab states).
It won’t take Israel to be over run, I know it shouldn’t be like this but pictures of Isrealis on the beach in bikini’s and board shorts being bombed or people leaving a missile hit night club in western clothes covered in blood will be very difficult for the government to handle. Like I say, it shouldn’t make a difference if its Palestinian or Jew but it will because it will feel.more like an attack on western values. Tories rightly or wrongly be right behind Israel but Labour has the domestic problem of the Muslim vote any physical support for Israel and that vote will collapse. Worse more marches, possibly clashes, due to our direct involvement. Most of the other parties have picked a side, maybe not publically. But the government will have to pick a side if things deteriorate and that decision will shape our politics going forward. Let’s hope it does come to that.
To be far, Isreal has always suffered civilian casualties….constant threats of bombs as well as massive rocket and missile attacks have been normal for ever..and no one in the west really gave a toss…to be honest I think there is still enough underlying antisemitism in Europe that there is a general underlying…”well they all deserve it” We live in societies that are essentially balanced between a large antisemitism brigade at one extreme ( the free Palestine “ from the river to the sea brigade”) as well as an alive and kicking Islamophobia group….
In the end I don’t think Europe ( including the UK) will do much unless the IDF fail..and I’m not sure what could be done after that to be honest…
Sadly I think the present Israeli executive seem hell bent on forcing the issue after the atrocities by Hamas and I think Iran are going to stoke the fires as much as they can….they have seen weakness they can exploit in Jordan and will use the present violence to try and destabilise and remove the Jordanian monarchy…once they have done that the way is open for what they really want…a war to end Israel.
Hi Jonathan.
A balanced view you presented. I think the UK has a tiger by the tail with the polarity in politics. From the outside peering in, It looks really bad. My fear is the current government appears determined to shut down the debate under the pretext of alleged racism. The thing has a decidedly Orwellian feel to it.
I do hope Starmer has the foresight to understand the value of open, respectful debate and dialogue. It’s ironic that they seem to be alienating their traditional Working class voting block, given recent events. To ignore the masses is typically never a good outcome for democratically elected governments .
We can only wait and see. Media will play a big role if they choose not to cover Israeli civilian casualties in detail then you could be right.
Fingers crossed we can only hope that sense prevails on all sides…but I fear not…I suspect what will happen is the IDF knock the ever loving out of Hezbollah and in the end it returns to a status quo of a few tit for tat attacks…aside from all the horrible deaths ( which I think will happen one way or another and and not really preventable by the outside world) .I think the big story for the geostrategic situation will be what happens in Jordan and can Iran destabilise the monarchy…
if ( and it’s a big if) Iran can use a Hezbollah Israel war and any U.S. intervention to successfully destabilise Jordan and replace the monarchy then I think Israel ( and the whole region ) is in a whole world of future hurt once Iran secures control of Israel…
In the end this needs to be seen through not a prism of an Arab Israeli conflict ( as that if left had been settling)..but an Iran US/isreali conflict..in which the more moderate Sunni and Arab states are seen as the enemy Islam almost as much as The US/isreali block.
To be honest the only way I see the region settling down is if the Iranian government is removed by an internal insurgency and the Israelis vote out the present extremists Zionists and play better with Fatah as a counter to Hamas.
I also think that any western U.S. intervention with fuel the fire and act as a catalyst to an insurgency in Jordan…Iran I feel wants the U.S. to come in as much as it wants Isreal to invade Lebanon and keep going as it is in Gaza..all wins for Iran.
Can’t disagree with any of that. I’ll add I don’t think many in the West understand real dynamics of the Middle East. It’s centuries old war based on religion. Iran picked Isreal as the bogey man based on Religion, it needed one for the domestic audience, but that was secondary. For Palestinian muslims living in Kafir lands is largely look at unfavourably, Isreal is Kafir land. Also, conquered Islamic lands should not be returned. Isreal falls into that category also.
Hi Expat. I think that the fundamental point of difference is that Hamas has a manifesto to destroy Israel. How do you begin to bargain in good faith with that position?
Off course, Israeli affords itself no favours with their expansion across the west bank, regardless of their justification.
I don’t necessarily condone Israel’s actions in Gaza, but If you asked me for a viable alternative, I genuinely can’t answer the question.
I do wish it would stop though.
There is a viable alternative…
1) the Iranian government gets overthrown by an internal insurgency ( the west and the Arab world should be focused on this and using political warfare to the max…including developing and arming insurgents).
2) The present extremist Zionist government in Israel gets voted out and the moderate take over..they work with and develop fatah as the rulers of both Gaza and the West Bank..and work in good faith to develop a Fatah lead Palestinian state..that against means the west, Isreal and Arab states use political warfare to strengthen a Fatah government in every way.
That’s the only way to in the end this 75 years of misery and prevent this all either:
1) Blowing up into a regional horror story of general war across the region and potentially a nuclear outcome.
2) staying the same for another 75 years of steady death and misery on all sides…including the ever present and increasing threat of terror on the streets of Europe and the U.S. ( this is a conflict that is now embedded in the west).
Hi Jonathan, an interesting perspective. your first listed options 1 and 2 have much appeal.
The UK was never forced to support the US’s war on terrorism. It did so because it saw it was in its national interest to do so. Whether that was the correct strategy or not is the UK’s problem, not the US’s. The US has been maintaining air forces in the UK for 80 years ready to go into combat at a moment’s notice to defend the UK. And the UK has never paid a penny to the US Treasury. Some might call it parasitism, but I can’t comment.
To support the US on the war on terror was certainly the U.K. Government’s choice and I for one still support the initial decision but unfortunately blindly following the US lead neither helped us or ultimately the US. A balanced relationship between allies is important because an honest and experienced friend might have warned about invading Iraq (they were not responsible for 9/11) and staying In Afghanistan more than 6 months.
As for US bases in Britain I don’t think we forced the US to stay but as an unsinkable aircraft carrier moored off north west Europe it was a very convenient and safe place to face down the soviets.
For the free world it is important that relationship is healthy and maintained going forward.
Well many could say the the UK has given the US access to a huge number of airbases world wide essentially free since the end of the war…allowing the US To pursue its aims…never paying a penny to the UK treasury….some may call that parasitism, but I cannot comment.
Actually in Afganistan the UK was forced to as the USA invoked Article 5 of the NATO treaty so all NATO members were committed and went and bled for you.
Iraq was voluntary and working well until Dubya panicked and disbanded the Iraqi Army. We may never find out if Blair was part of that mistake.
The US taxpayer was already footing the bill as this is additional aid over and above the annual aid they give. It was lumped together with the Ukraine aid already.
US tax payers are some lot, I’m glad I’m not one of them, at-least we get something for our money in the UK.
I believe part of my tax goes to support Ukraine, Whether I think that’s value depends on whether I think Ukraine is a worthy ally and the war has a broader impact if lost. Same goes for Israel its only of value if the US taxpayer thinks its worth supporting an ally or let the region be overrun by the likes of Iran.
There of course added dimension of the current conflict which makes it harder to justify support but this is a long term deal into the next decade.
Big difference for the US tax payer on Israel vs Ukraine is that it has an open ended funding commitment with Israel that’s been going for 50 years with no end in sight and the same deal requires uncle Sam to also give billions a year to Egypt which is a military dictatorship.
Given US opinion polls I don’t think the average American is very happy with the arrangement.
Right now Ukraine is looking open ended, if the war stopped tomorrow we’ll be on the hook to supply weapons to boost Ukraines defence and be bunging them billions to rebuild and, still Russia could continue to take pops at them. Could end up like Korea where we need to constantly supporting.
UAE and Saudi also bung Egypt money. They were essentially worried the Muslim botherhood would take over the country, which would be a big problem for them not to mention what it would mean for Egypts remaining Christian population. What were majority religions in the middle east are now minorities some religions have been completely wiped out. Isreal or Judeah is last to be concoquered. If US voters or even parts of the UK electorate want that to happen or even cheer it happening so be it. We live in democracy after all.
The US has the same decision as us chose between crap or crappie when it comes to political choices. But as in Europe there’s increased in the Muslim vote, who vote based religious ideology. Karan states Muslims should not be governed by a non-Muslim, voting for a non-Muslim is haram and questioning this statement in the Karan is blasphemy. So I’m not questioning it. Don’t believe me google ‘Ahok mayor of Jakarta jailed’
It said five years in the report, so yes.
Helping a fellow parliamentary democracy with universal suffrage is the right thing for any western country to do. Not just the USA. Israel is on the front line when is comes to opposing the evil aspects of islam.
All foreign policies are multitiered. The Five Eyes Anglosphere alliance strands supreme.
I wonder how much of that the Israeli tax payer will be funding and how much the US taxpayer will be funding. A 3.3billion a year military handout pays for a lot of stuff.
US taxpayer will be funding 100%, America’s greatest ally Israel doesn’t have to pay uncle Sam for weapons as they are such a great ally.
Helping to Make America Great Again 😀
The F15 order is not a UOR with deliveries not starting until 2029. Indeed, it appears to have been in discussion since 2018. Quite why Israel( or the US taxpayer) is spending so much on a non stealthy aircraft rather than increasing its F35A fleet, I’m unsure. Perhaps, since Israel primarily uses F15 in a strike role rather than air dominance, its longer range is the deciding factor.
Perhaps because F35 aren’t really that useful for hitting cruise missiles and drones that won’t fighter back. F35 are useful for hitting pockets of the IRGC in Syria but aren’t missile trucks like the F15. Most air combat going forward (next 10-15 years) will be against relatively dumb Unmanned platforms. Israel will need to max out its hours in the air to air role on its current F15 fleet so a new order makes sense for them.
The Pentagon has set a ceiling of 780 orders for the F-35 between FY 2026 and FY 2030. There is a huge backlog. LM just can’t increase production. The F-15 EX, which is essentially what the Israelis are ordering, is the best non-stealthy fighter in the world. The USAF will be buying 110 of them.
The F15 EX is certainly the best American non stealthy fighter in the world, there are other newer 4.5gen fighters with better capabilities.
if you look at the F-15EX it IS a 4.5 gen fighter and you’d be hard pressed to find anything better. its a completely new jet just in a similar looking body as the F-15C/D. fly by wire (look up f-15 quatar RIAT on youtube to see what that can do- you’ll be amazed), new engines giving it even better performance, world beating radar and defensive suite, ability to carry up to 22(!) air to air missiles… i’d say its by far the best non-stealth aircraft out there right now. its as big of a change from the legacy f-15s as the superhornet is from legacy hornets- perhaps even more-so.
Like the typhoon. Of which the RAF could really use another 36-48 to replace tranche 1. Which are about to be scrapped.
Actually it`s F-15IA, are based on the F-15EX, includes a number of significant modifications (Israeli systems) and improvements. All these cost money and effort…
The F15 is more suitable because no one else ( who is unfriendly toward Israel ) can team F35A and F15 in strike packages with reach. Even if ever Turkey came to serious blows with Israel ( doubtful ) its present fleet is no match for the IAF. Interestingly the Turks are now seeking 40 or so Typhoons at the expense of F16 upgrades/purchases. F15 gives Israel what it most needs, long range, heavy payload and multi role capability.
Hi John. I imagine the Turkish Typhoon interest is a consequence of the yank’s embargo on the F35 buy. Be interesting see this play out as the Greeks are green lighted to acquire F35s.
Anyone know how our potential sale of Typhoon to Saudi is going?
TUC recon 65% of an MoD order is direct economic benefit to the UK so same will apply to export with the bigger benefit of it being foreign money not UK tax payers . So logically with the new government agenda of growth I hope this is on the governments to do list to close a deal ASAP.
I hope the US can afford all this.