Israel must break America’s grip on its most powerful weapons

Israel must develop its own long-range hypersonic missile arsenal before Washington or its enemies find a way to cripple its ability to strike.

By Jonathan Pollard, World Israel News

Israel possesses one of the world’s most powerful air forces. But its ability to strike enemies thousands of kilometers away depends heavily on American-made aircraft, American spare parts, and American weapons.

That dependence is a strategic vulnerability that Israel can no longer afford to ignore.

With Democrats having won control of both houses of Congress, the possibility of renewed American pressure, military restrictions, and even crippling sanctions is no longer a distant concern.

At the same time, increasingly sophisticated enemy air defenses and the expansion of potentially hostile naval forces are making traditional long-range air operations more dangerous.

The answer is not to abandon Israel’s fighter aircraft. It is to develop an additional, independently controlled arsenal of advanced ballistic and hypersonic missiles capable of striking distant targets with extraordinary speed.

Israel’s legendary “long arm” must evolve before its enemies—or its allies—discover how to restrain it.

Breaking the fighter jet monopoly

For decades, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been the nation’s definitive long arm.

From the preemptive strikes of the Six-Day War to the destruction of Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981 and more recent operations deep inside enemy territory, Israeli fighter pilots have repeatedly demonstrated their extraordinary capabilities.

But past success must not become an excuse for strategic complacency.

The IAF has traditionally maintained an overwhelming institutional and financial commitment to manned aircraft, including advanced American-made F-35 stealth fighters and F-15 and F-16 combat aircraft.

These platforms remain indispensable. But relying on them almost exclusively for long-range strikes creates unnecessary risks.

Modern adversaries are investing heavily in sophisticated radar networks, surface-to-air missiles, and deeply fortified underground installations.

Even stealth fighters are not invulnerable. Sending highly trained pilots and extraordinarily expensive aircraft into heavily defended enemy territory should not be Israel’s only option.

Israel cannot allow institutional rivalries, budgetary interests, or attachment to traditional airpower doctrine to determine the future of its national defense.

Israel needs an additional means of delivering devastating long-range strikes without exposing its pilots or depending entirely on American-made aircraft.

Advanced ballistic and hypersonic missiles offer that capability.

Striking before the enemy can react

The greatest advantage of these weapons is their extraordinary speed.

While fighter aircraft may require hours to prepare and reach distant targets, long-range missiles can potentially strike targets thousands of kilometers away within minutes.

Intermediate-range ballistic missiles can carry maneuverable warheads that change direction as they approach their targets, making interception considerably more difficult.

Hypersonic weapons offer another powerful capability.

Traveling at more than five times the speed of sound, certain hypersonic missiles can maneuver during flight, complicating an enemy’s ability to detect, track, and intercept them.

Hypersonic glide vehicles are launched by rockets before maneuvering toward their targets, while hypersonic cruise missiles use advanced engines to sustain extremely high speeds.

These weapons are neither invulnerable nor guaranteed to penetrate every defense, but they would force Israel’s enemies to confront threats that conventional air defenses may struggle to defeat.

For Israel, their strategic value is enormous.

Such weapons could threaten enemy radar installations, command centers, missile batteries, and other critical military facilities without requiring Israeli pilots to penetrate the most dangerous airspace.

They would also provide a powerful complement to the IAF, allowing fighter aircraft to concentrate on missions that require flexibility, sustained bombardment, and precise tactical judgment.

The result would be a far more formidable combination of speed, firepower, and operational flexibility.

Turkey’s growing naval threat

Israel must also confront a changing strategic reality in the Mediterranean.

Turkey’s expanding navy and increasingly assertive regional ambitions present a challenge that cannot be ignored.

Ankara’s “Blue Homeland” doctrine envisions a greatly expanded Turkish maritime role, while its agreements with Libya have intensified disputes over control and influence in the eastern Mediterranean.

Israel cannot afford to wait until Turkey’s expanding naval power becomes a direct threat to its security.

A future confrontation could involve hostile warships operating far beyond the reach of Israel’s traditional coastal defenses.

Advanced anti-ship ballistic and hypersonic missiles could provide Israel with a powerful means of deterring such threats.

Maneuverable warheads and high-speed missiles capable of engaging moving naval targets would complicate the defensive calculations of any hostile fleet.

These weapons could also threaten hostile naval forces while concentrated in port, potentially crippling an adversary’s ability to project power before its warships ever reach Israeli waters.

A hostile naval commander should never be able to assume that distance from Israel provides protection.

The message must be unmistakable: any naval force threatening Israel must face the possibility of a rapid and devastating response.

Washington must not control Israel’s long arm

Perhaps the most compelling argument for developing an independent missile arsenal is the growing danger of American political pressure.

Israel’s long-range strike capability depends heavily on American-made F-15I, F-16I, and F-35I aircraft.

These sophisticated platforms require a continuous supply of spare parts, specialized maintenance equipment, and munitions.

That dependence gives Washington considerable leverage over Israel’s military capabilities.

The Democratic victory in both houses of Congress makes this vulnerability even more troubling.

When the new Congress takes office in January, Israel could face intensified political pressure, attempts to condition military assistance, restrictions on weapons deliveries, or efforts to impose punitive sanctions.

Israel cannot afford to dismiss these possibilities simply because the United States has historically been its closest ally.

Alliances are important. But alliances are not substitutes for military independence.

No foreign government should possess the practical ability to restrict Israel’s response to an existential threat by withholding essential weapons or replacement parts.

Developing a substantial domestic arsenal of intermediate-range ballistic missiles, maneuverable warheads, and hypersonic weapons would help break this dependence.

Israel already possesses an advanced defense industry and considerable expertise in missile technology. Expanding those capabilities into a more comprehensive, independently sustained long-range strike force should become a national priority.

Such independence would require domestic production of critical components and secure access to essential materials. It would not happen overnight.

But every additional capability that Israel can design, manufacture, maintain, and deploy without foreign approval strengthens its strategic freedom.

The objective must be clear: Israel should never find itself unable to defend its citizens because an American administration or congressional majority objects to its military decisions.

Israel’s long arm must remain unbroken

None of this diminishes the extraordinary achievements of the IAF or the indispensable role of its fighter pilots.

On the contrary, advanced missile capabilities would strengthen the air force by reducing its exposure to the most dangerous missions and giving Israeli commanders additional options.

Fighter aircraft would remain essential for sustained operations, changing battlefield conditions, and missions requiring the judgment and flexibility of highly trained pilots.

But they should no longer carry the entire burden of Israel’s long-range striking power.

The combination of advanced missiles and manned aircraft would create a more versatile, resilient, and formidable military force.

Israel’s enemies are adapting. Its regional rivals are expanding their capabilities. And the political foundations of American military support can no longer be taken for granted.

Israel must adapt accordingly.

Israel’s enemies must never believe they are beyond its reach. And its allies must never believe they can decide how far that reach extends.

hypersonic missilesIAFisraeli air forceIsraeli Defense TechnologyJonathan PollardUS-Israel relations