Israel eyes new Lockheed F-35 fighter

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel wants to start buying radar-evading Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets as soon as 2011, with delivery likely about two years later, a U.S. F-35 program official said on Wednesday.

The interest in acquiring an initial batch of up to 25 F-35s dovetails with Israeli fears that Iran is seeking a nuclear bomb and could have it as soon as 2010, sooner than predicted by the United States.

Iran says its nuclear ambitions are limited to generating electricity.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in Washington on Tuesday, at the start of a three-day visit to the United States, that the Iranian nuclear program must be stopped by "all possible means".

The single-seat, supersonic F-35 is hard to detect by radar and is designed to knock out enemy fighters while simultaneously carrying out bombing missions.

Olmert was to meet President George W. Bush later on Wednesday for talks that could include Israel's interest in the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. Israel also may be interested later in the F-35B version that can land vertically.

"It's possible that things could come up," said Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman, when asked about possible Bush-Olmert talks on arms sales to Israel. "Obviously Israel wants to defend itself, and the United States has been supportive."

An Israeli Embassy spokesman declined to comment.