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With Turkish Loss of F-35, Israel Keeps Its Aerial Superiority
(Jerusalem Post) Anna Ahronheim - The Pentagon's decision to stop the delivery of F-35 stealth fighter jet equipment to Turkey due to Ankara's decision to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defense system will allow Israel to keep its aerial superiority in the Middle East. Israel currently has 14 F-35 jets and is expected to have 50 planes by 2024. A senior Israeli defense official was quoted by Ha'aretz in August as saying that Israel would like to be the only country in the Middle East with the F-35 in order to keep its qualitative military edge and out of fears that the jet's capabilities would be leaked to enemy countries. As a partner in the F-35 program, Turkey invested over $1 billion on the jet, with several local companies producing fuselages and cockpit screens. Turkish defense companies also produce high-end SOM-J missiles for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and Turkey is Europe's maintenance and repair center for the F-35.