Israel unveils newest fighter jet

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, November 16, 2003

Israel unveils newest fighter jet

Israel has unveiled its first F-16I fighter jet as aerospace giant Lockheed Martin rolled out the plane from its assembly line, Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday.

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Israel has unveiled its first F-16I fighter jet as aerospace giant Lockheed Martin rolled out the plane from its assembly line, Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday.

The Israel Air Force (IAF) held a celebration Friday for the occasion, which was considered "a key moment" in Israel's national defense history by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.

As the first batch will not be delivered until early next year, the ceremony marked the interim phase in the 4.5-billion-dollar deal, the largest arms deal in the history of Israel.

The money will be paid for from the annual US military grant given to Israel.

Lockheed Martin won the tender, beating rival Boeing, in 1999 tosupply 102 of the advanced fighter jets aimed at strengthening IAF's long reach.

Within range are nations as far away as Iran and Libya.

The report said that with the arrival of the 102 F-16Is, Israel will have a total of 362 of the jets, the second largest fleet in the world behind the United States.

The F-16s are the backbone of the IAF, but these new "I" models will give added punch to the long-range capabilities of the IAF andcomplement the squadron of F-15Is Israel received in the end of the1990s.

According to the report, the F-16I is not just another F-16, buta completely redesigned jet. It has an 820-km non-refueling radius of operation and can haul more weaponry than older F-16s.

The new jet will be armed with the AMRAAM air-to-air missile, giving it superior survivability and the ability to shoot down other jets up to 50 km away, the report said.

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