U.S Quickly Updated Israeli F-35s after Hamas Attack

Defense News - Following the October 7th attack by Hamas, the United States swiftly enhanced the capabilities of Israel F-35 fighters, according to Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, the program executive officer for the F-35. Schmidt, while speaking to reporters, refrained from specifying the exact upgrades sent to Israel but emphasized the program commitment to supplying spare parts and capabilities to all nations operating the F-35.

In the two-plus months post the Hamas attack, improvements were made to Israel F-35s, as confirmed by Schmidt after a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces. The upgrades were carried out in response to the deadly attack by Hamas, which claimed the lives of at least 1,200 people, according to Lt. Gen. Schmidt. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that over 18,000 people died as a result of subsequent Israeli air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip.

Bill LaPlante, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, revealed during the hearing that the F-35 program successfully expedited updated mission data files to a specific nation within a week or week and a half. Schmidt later confirmed that Israel was the nation in question.

Mission data files, described as a crucial "brick" by LaPlante, contain information essential for the jet combat operations, including its memory of potential threats during an operation. While acknowledging that the F-35 program is not yet where it needs to be concerning mission data files, LaPlante expressed optimism about the recent accelerated updates, stating that lessons learned from this process would benefit the entire program.

In written remarks, LaPlante highlighted that Israel currently has 35 out of its 39 F-35s operational, actively carrying out missions with increased sustainment support to maximize aircraft readiness.

During the hearing, Rep. Rob Wittman, the chairman of the subcommittee, commended the F-35 Joint Program Office for its rapid response, describing the efforts as a "breakneck speed" operation to support Israel. Lt. Gen. Schmidt informed lawmakers that Israel F-35s have performed exceptionally well in their operations against Hamas, with a high success rate in executing missions. He emphasized the ongoing commitment of the F-35 team to enhance the capabilities of the aircraft continually.