The Israel Air Force (IAF) has purchased a unique material able to repair bombed-out runways within minutes, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday.
A number of tests were carried out recently with the new material, including the takeoff of fully-loaded fighter jets, said the report, adding that the new solution can allow a base to resume operations within minutes.
The decision to buy the material was made in line with the lessons learned from the 2006 conflict with Lebanon, when more than 4,000 Hezbollah rockets pounded Israel, a top IAF officer was quoted as saying, noting that the IAF was concerned that Syria and Hezbollah would target air bases in an effort to neutralize Israel' s fighter-jet capability.
"Our assumption is that we will be under a heavy barrage of missiles in a future conflict," said the officer. "This applies to all of the air force bases - in the South and the North."
Amid the same concern, the IAF is also considering purchasing several Joint Strike Fighters, which have vertical-takeoff capability, according to the report. Israeli Defense Ministry has announced plans to purchase at least 25 F-35 jets with the option to buy dozens more.
Meanwhile, an IAF magazine reported on Tuesday that a new avionic system has been installed in F-15I fighter jets, the lead model in Israeli air force, which enables pilots to drop several smart bombs simultaneously.
Source:Xinhua
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