Jack Crisler, the Vice President of the F-35 Business Development and Strategy Integration at Lockheed Martin, praised the F-35 fighter plane and the Israeli technology it incorporates at the inaugural ceremony marking Israel's acquisition of its first F-35s.
Crisler said that the delay in the aircrafts' delivery was decided by the Italian government and did not reflect their ability to perform in inclement weather conditions. "It's not a problem with the aircraft," he stressed.
"Israel will be the first country to declare initial operational capability outside the United States. They will join the US Air Force and the US Marine Corps in that declaration," he said.
The F-35, according to Crisler, "discriminates itself from any other fighter in the world by combining stealth...sensor fusion...it gives them 360 degrees spherical awareness of everything around them."
He praised the Israeli contributions to the technology powering the plane. "That technology is Israel technology. It comes from Elbit, and its unlike any technology in the world. It's revolutionary, and only the F-35 has it."
Crisler added that the F-35 is designed to counter both current and future threats, including the threat posed by Iran.