IAF, US Army Launch Joint Air Exercise
24 March, 2020 |
4 years ago
Jerusalem, 24 March, 2020 (TPS) -- The Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the US Army commenced on Tuesday in a joint air exercise that will include drills with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
The IDF stated that the exercise, which will take place in the south and end on Thursday, will take place only in the air and there will be no sessions on the ground, presumably because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) related restrictions.
The IDF emphasized that the exercise was planned in advance as part of the 2020 training program and “is intended to maintain the readiness and fitness of the forces.”
The IDF and US Army canceled a few exercises earlier this year following the spread of Coronavirus.
The Adir (mighty) was declared operational by the IAF in December 2017. The Israeli F-35 was the first outside of the US to be declared operational, preceded only by the US Marine Corps and the US Air Force.
The fifth-generation fighter jet, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is considered one of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft. Israel has acquired a total of 50 F-35s which are to be supplied by December 2024.
