Top US and Israeli defense officials met in Washington DC on Thursday to move forward a variety of defense deals between the countries, the Defense Ministry announced.
In September, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant submitted an official Letter of Request (LOR) to the US and to Lockheed Martin for the purchase of a third squadron of 25 F-35 aircraft, which will eventually bring Israel’s total complement to 75 aircraft.
On Thursday, Channel 12 reported, and the Jerusalem Post confirmed, that the next step in the deal, the US's Letter of Acceptance, had been issued.
The aircraft are still not expected before 2026-2027, but moving that deal and others, including the F-15 EX fighters, Apache helicopters, and a variety of weapons and munitions, is important to the ministry at this point in the war, when there are pressures on the US-Israeli alliance.