Lockheed sees Israeli move on F-35 within days

Lockheed Martin Corpexecutives on Tuesday said they expected to receive a letter of request from Israel for purcahses of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter 'within days' after working out a solution that will allow Israel to expand the jet's electronic warfare capability.'We expect a letter of request to come to us within days. We have a solution and a configuration in mind that will meet their needs,' Dan Crowley, Lockheed executive Vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, told Reuters in an interview at the Paris Air Show. Tom Burbage, also executive vice president at Lockheed, said eight Israeli companies already worked on the F-35 fighter, but the expectation moving into the next phase would be that Israeli companies would also get some more substantive, structural work on the airplane. He said Lockheed was in discussions with Israel Aviation Industries about such possible work.

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