Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Israeli procurement

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The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Israeli procurement is the result of an agreement for the government of Israel to purchase the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II for the Israeli Air Force as the F-35I "Adir". The first nine F-35s became operational with the Israeli Air Force in December 2017. On 22 May 2018, Israeli Air Force commander, Major General Amikam Norkin, reported that Israel had become the first country in the world to use the F-35 in combat. They were also used in the Gaza war. In November 2020, an F-35I testbed aircraft was delivered. This was the only example of a testbed F-35 delivered to an air force outside of the United States. As of 13 November 2022, the Israeli Air Force had 36 F-35s in service, including the testbed stationed at the Flight Test Center at Tel Nof Airbase, and operated three squadrons at Nevatim Airbase – the 140th, 116th and 117th.

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