Israel signed a contract on Thursday for the purchase of 52 F-16I fighter-bombers from American firm Lockheed Martin, reported the Jerusalem Post newspaper.
The $2 billion deal follows the order for 50 Israel made two years ago, it said.
The agreement was actually an amendment to the original deal, which gave Israel the option to purchase more of the planes.
The deal is for the same two-seat F-16I configuration as in the previous order, with deliveries expected to start in 2006 and end in 2009.
Most of the funding will come from the nearly $2 billion in annual US military aid, it said.
The F-16I is considered one of the most advanced fighter-bombers in the world and has been equipped with conformal fuel tanks that extend its range.
Israel has the largest fleet of F-16s outside of the US, and the plane makes up the backbone of Israel's fighter fleet, said the paper, adding that Egypt has the second-largest F-16 fleet – Albawaba.com
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