Within the United States, the sole nation to have been rewarded with a unique version of the F-35, in the form of an F-35 testbed, Israel is a fact that speaks volumes of how far its F-35I “Adir” programme has broken the export export playbook.
The vast majority of F-35 buyers purchase a strictly regulated configuration that will ensure that the fleet can remain interoperable, serviceable, and safe throughout a large coalition. Israel, with a very exquisitely short threat-response cycle of its own, and supported by an established local aerospace industry, has negotiated another bargain: retain the essence of the F-35 stealth and sensor fusion, but retain national latitude in the aircraft mission systems.
The characteristic feature of the Airbus is not a change in the external form; it is a philosophy of technical sovereignty in-built in the manner the aircraft may be modified. Latitude was given to Israel to redefine the major elements in the electronic warfare strategy of the aircraft with a faster and more locally specific response to regional emitters and strategy. This is important since in electronic warfare, a stealth aircraft can frequently lose or gain an edge in terms of threat identification, emitter localization as well as the speed with which countermeasures keep pace with the changing environment. In practice, the Adir is organised in such a manner that Israeli crews can update a component of that which the jet is aware of, and how it reacts, without queueing on the identical configuration-control pipelines that govern the majority of partner fleets. That design decision also allows to understand why the reputation of the Adir has risen higher than the minimum F-35A: the survivability of the jet is built more like a living system, but not like a predetermined kit.
One of the key enablers is the changed computing and avionics strategy of the Adir which has been referred to as a plug and play backbone that facilitates integration of home systems. The thing is that speed: Sensors, interfaces and data connections can be plugged in in such a manner that fits within the command and control ecosystem of Israel, as opposed to all new capabilities being pressed into a single globally consistent standard. Benni Cohen elucidated the idea in a concise way when he likened an Israel Aerospace Industries command-and-control system to an “iPhone App” operating on the central avionics.
The same is true when it comes to weapons integration. Israel has established channels to put field local munitions on the jet, Python 5 and SPICE precision-guided weapon kit, which can maintain an inventory that has already been entrenched in Israeli training, tactics and logistics. It is not newness so much as continuing to bring the stealth aircraft into national inventories and national tactics of mission planning with the rapid re-targeting, mixed seekers, and GPS-free alternatives increasingly defining the real-world strike packages.
The Adir story is still all about range and reach. Israel has sought low-observable-minded solutions of fuel and carriage, such as so-called work around conformal tanks, to increase the range of operation without making the jet a radar reflector. That strategic driver is simple: a stealth platform can only achieve its full potential when it can get there with enough fuel and payload to be able to put high-end targets at risk without its signature discipline being compromised.
The aircraft has become more mystical through operational use, although the engineering lesson is larger than any single sortie. The F-35I is an example of the consequences of considering a fifth-generation platform as a host to nationally-managed mission systems, backed by local industry and purpose-built testing infrastructure, instead of a black box. By 2025, Israel had 46 F-35Is in three squadrons at Nevatim, and it is said to be increasing to 75 aircraft by 2030, increasing not only its fleet presence but the capability of its stealth spear to constantly change what it can do.
