Israel suspends flights of 11 F-35I Adir fighter jets after F-35B crash at US airbase

The Israeli Air Force has decided to temporarily suspend flights of fifth-generation fighters

F-35I Adir. The cause was the crash of an F-35B aircraft in the United States.

What is known

December 15 at the US Naval Air StationFort Worth in Texas, an F-35B Lightning fighter crashed. He fell on the runway during a vertical landing. The pilot was able to eject. The US Department of Defense on the same day stated that the aircraft had not yet been handed over to the military.

Israel suspends flights of 11 fighter jetsF-35I Adir. In total, the IDF is armed with 36 aircraft, and 50 units have been ordered, with the possibility of increasing to 75. These include a model for flight tests. Israel became the only country outside the United States to receive such an aircraft.

Israeli experts say that the fighters need to be tested in order to eliminate possible malfunctions. How long this may take is yet to be determined.