TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel expects to be first line for the
next-generation Joint Strike Fighter.But Israel will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts
for the JSF.Officials and industry sources said they expect Israel to be
eligible for the purchase of the JSF -- also dubbed the F-35 -- in the early
part of the next decade. Britain and the United States -- the key partners of
the JSF -- will be the first to procure the multi-role fighter.Lockheed Martin, which was awarded the JSF project last month, has
been discussing the eventual sale of the new fighter to Israel. Robert
Trice, the company's vice president for international business development, said
the first delivery of the JSF to Israel would take place in 2012.The U.S. Air Force is scheduled to obtain the jet in 2008.
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