Key Points and Summary: The Israeli F-35I Adir is an advanced variant of the U.S. F-35, customized with cutting-edge electronic warfare capabilities and unique weapon integrations.
-Israel’s modifications allow the Adir to jam enemy radar, “frequency hop” to avoid detection, and quickly rearm for high sortie rates.
Photo by Amit Agronov via IDF.
-Its success in recent operations against Iran has caught the attention of the U.S. military, sparking interest in its enhanced systems.
-While the Pentagon may seek insights from Israel’s advancements, sharing these secrets remains uncertain.
-As tensions rise, the F-35I Adir stands as a game-changer in aerial warfare, proving Israel’s commitment to technological superiority.
What’s The Secret Behind the Israeli F-35I Adir?
The Israelis always face existential threats from their neighbors and terrorist groups who wish to wipe the Jewish nation off the map. That’s why Israel places so much emphasis on new military hardware produced indigenously or imported from abroad. They are constantly tinkering with tactics, techniques, and procedures. They conduct after-action reviews and listen to military personnel about the best way to improve weapons systems.
Iran Now Has a Bloody Nose
Israel has enjoyed much success with the F-35 they have imported from the United States, but Israel wasn’t happy with just flying the baseline model.
They made it even better and hatched the F-35I Adir. The Adir was instrumental in last fall’s “bloody nose” attack against Iran.
The Israeli air force flew F-35I Adir and other non-stealth fighters for combat operations against Iranian radar and air defense installations, plus other military targets. The F-35I Adir suffered no losses and showed the world that Israel is not a country to trifle with.
The Americans Are Impressed with F-35I Adir
“The Adir’s performance in Israel is absolutely outstanding,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, Program Executive Officer and Director of the F-35 Lightning II Program, testified before a House Armed Services Committee subcommittee recently. “Their mission-capable rates are high. Their full mission capable rates are high,” he said.
How did this airplane get so good? The Israelis embarked on an extensive modification program to avoid pratfalls that the Americans experienced with their own F-35s over the years.
There have been well-documented accidents and mishaps with the U.S. F-35s, including a crash and burn incident over Alaska this week when a Lightning II was caught on video falling from the sky. The pilot ejected safely, but this rang more alarm bells for the program.
‘Monster’ Adir Puts the Fear into the Enemy
On the other hand, the F-35I Adir has been described as a “monster” after its modification program was completed.
The airplane now has a new jamming pod for better electronic warfare. The Israelis have also improved the deliverable munitions with their own improved bombs and missiles.
The Adirs network with each other very well. This was an essential feature of the Iranian attack. They can be “turned over” faster than other countries that fly them.
F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
This means they can fly one mission, land, be re-fueled and re-armed, and then launch again quickly. This high sortie rate will serve the Israeli Air Force well in the future.
Electronic Warfare Is the Name of the Game
That electronic warfare system is especially built for Iranian surface-to-air missile systems that include the dangerous S-300 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).
The Israelis have figured out a good way to spoof and jam the radars, sensors, and interceptors to render these Iranian systems useless. Obviously, the F-35I’s stealthiness is a big feature of this success against the SAMs.
However, it is more than just stealth technology that sustains the F-35Is. “They can discern and ‘deconflict’ the spectrum, pick out hostile or threatening frequencies and RF signatures, and establish a ‘line of bearing’ The goal? To jam or disable enemy communications or weapons guidance systems,” according to BulgarianMilitary.com.
Israeli Air Force F-35I Adir stealth multi-role fighter.
It’s All About ‘Frequency Hopping’
This is called the practice of “frequency hopping,” and the F-35Is make this look easy. The Adir avoids discovery of its offensive EW system by moving to another frequency when jamming. This masks the war-bird’s location.
What will the Israelis think of next? No doubt they have already de-briefed the pilots on the Iranian mission and figured out new ways to exploit the F-35I’s prowess.
Why not return the favor and give these technological breakthroughs back to the Americans? The Pentagon has likely already asked. That doesn’t mean the Israelis will share their secrets.
All’s fair in war, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a living by keeping military breakthroughs under wraps. Netanyahu will be visiting with President Donald Trump soon and let’s see if the attack on Iran is on the agenda.
F-35I Adir. Image Credit: IDF Air Force.
This would be a good time for National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to ask his Israeli counterpart about the F-35I modifications. He may not make much headway with the tight-lipped Israelis, but it is worth the ask.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
