The Biden administration is on the brink of approving a sale of up to 50 American-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas. The deal is expected to be worth $18 billion.
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Randy Reep, a former F-15 jet pilot, spoke about the capabilities of the jets and potential dangers. He called them one of the United States military’s most versatile aircraft.
“It has the ability to deliver a lot of weapons and at a high precision. So, in the regard of the effects of putting weapons on the desired weapons on the desired target it’s incredibly effective,” Reep said.
As many as 50 of these fighter jets could be sold to Israel if approved by the Biden Administration.
It’s an $18 billion deal, which would be considered one of the largest United States foreign military sales to Israel to date since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023.
Reep explained why he thinks some legislators are pushing back against the deal.
“Anytime that you’re selling United States technology to somebody outside of our borders you lose control of it, and that technology could then be spread maybe to people you don’t want having it,” Reep said.
Some legislators are calling for the United States to restrict military aid to Israel until more humanitarian aid gets sent to Gaza to protect civilians.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Gaza’s death toll has surpassed more than 32,000. The Israeli military said more than 250 soldiers have been killed since the war began.
If the deal is approved, the F-15 jets will be built from scratch and will not be delivered to Israel for at least five years later.