Though the "Tefen 2012" defense spending plan was supposed to represent a shift in emphasis from air and naval power to ground strength, Israel continued to place priority on maintaining air superiority over its regional neighbors. Moving forward, the country is boosting all of its services but will continue to emphasize its aerial capabilities (along with missile defense). The Israeli Ministry of Defense relies heavily upon American platforms and financial assistance in this regard.The emphasis on air supremacy and strike capability has resulted in an additional order for F-15I fighters to serve as the lead fighters for the Israeli Air Force until sizable numbers of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are brought into IAF service. The IAF announced that the F-35 had become operational at the start of December 2017. The Pentagon hopes to sell Israel up to 75 F-35s, including those already on order.
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