Israel gave up the stealth feature of F35s in order to use heavier ammunition in its air strikes on Gaza. Pilots drop high-precision bombs down to 200 metres, despite instructions to maintain a 600-metre distance during clashes.
On the morning of 7 October 2023, Hamas, the armed wing of the Kassam Brigades, launched a “surprise” attack on Israel. The date of 7 October was chosen for the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. At first, Israel was weak in taking action because it faced an unexpected attack, but then it intensified its attacks on Gaza from air, land and sea.
Israel announced that it had used “F35 fighter jets” in its air strikes on Gaza during the Hamas-Israel war that has been going on since 7 October. The fact that the aircraft, called the F-35I Adir variant in the Israeli Air Force, made manoeuvres similar to the manoeuvres of their 4th generation counterparts F-16I Sufa and F-15I Ra’am during the attacks caused controversy. Later in the war, it was revealed that Israel did not use the stealth feature of its F35s.
This detail about the operational use of the F-35I was revealed during an inspection visit to Nyotim Air Base by General Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces.
In his speech, Halevi emphasised Israel’s technological superiority over its regional counterparts, claiming that “Israel’s F-35I fleet can reach any corner of the Middle East”. On the other hand, Halevi stated that Adir F-35s participate in multifaceted missions, not only carrying out air strikes on Gaza, but also carrying out missions in support of its own ground troops.
Halevi acknowledged the versatility of the F35I, noting that this high-tech fighter jet is engaged in missions in support of ground troops. These missions are typically carried out by fighter jets, helicopters or large unmanned aerial vehicles. This is where the versatility of these high-tech vehicles becomes important.
Why doesn’t Israel use stealth?
The F-35Is make effective use of GBU-31 JDAM guided bombs weighing around 1 tonne to provide a robust support system for ground troops. The use of these heavy munitions under the wing leaves the stealth feature in the background.
The main reason why Israel can ignore this feature is that Hamas does not have sufficient equipment in the field of air defence. While Israel has a well-organised, structured and equipped modern army, Hamas has indoctrinated and trained fighters with skills in basic warfare, guerrilla warfare and suicide attacks.
What is the current state of the Israeli army?
According to the “Military Balance 2023” report, Israel has an active army of 1,69,500, of which 1,26,000 are conscripts. The military system in Israel requires Jews and Druze to perform military service for periods ranging from 24 months (for women) to 48 months (for civil servants).
The Israeli army consists of 3 Corps, 2 Armoured Divisions, 1 Multidimensional Division, 1 Special Operations Brigade, 1 Para Brigade, 3 Artillery Brigades and many other military formations. According to Global Power’s ranking, Israel has the fourth largest army in the region. Turkey, Egypt and Iran are ahead of Israel. According to the same ranking, the Israeli army ranks 18th globally.
When we look at Israel’s air force strength, it has the most modern combat aircraft in the form of F-15, F-16 and F-35, with a total of about 350 aircraft, divided into 14 fighter squadrons, 2 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and many other aircraft in different support roles. In addition to the famous Heron armed UAVs, it has a number of missile and anti-missile systems, armed and unarmed UAV inventories, including the long-range M901 Patriot PAC-2 with a range of 160 km and the short-range Iron Dome (anti-rocket system). Above all, Israel has a military budget of approximately $23.4 billion.
What is Hamas’ strength and potential?
Hamas, on the other hand, is a militant ideological group structured away from the military order. It was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian cleric, in 1987, after the uprising against the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Its military wing was established later in 1990. The army does not have any conventional forces or weapons. The fighters are estimated at around 25,000 to 30,000, primarily trained in guerrilla warfare tactics.
Hamas’ arsenal is known to include Russian-made Kornet platform and Iranian Fajr family anti-tank weapons. It also possesses Iranian Fateh-110 ballistic missiles with a range of up to 185 miles. As a result, the group allegedly has about 10 thousand rockets. In terms of mobility, fast-moving light vehicles such as jeeps, vans and motorbikes are used.
In this context, the battle is between a strong, traditional, modern and technologically superior army and a poorly equipped, but highly motivated, non-traditional force that is organised away from the military order.
What are the general characteristics of the F35 and what is the “stealth capability”?
The F-35, a fifth-generation fighter aircraft designed by Lockheed Martin, is known for its stealth capabilities, advanced electronic systems and networked combat operations.
The F-35 offers advanced stealth, advanced sensor capabilities and network-based data sharing features. In this way, it can obtain a comprehensive picture of the battlefield, attack targets at long ranges and avoid enemy detection.
Stealth refers to a range of technologies used in military aircraft to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection methods.
Source: T24
