Israel will receive on Monday afternoon its very first F-35 stealth fighter jets, dubbed as the most advanced multi-role combat fighter aircraft in the world yet. The two F-35 fighter jets is expected to land at the Nevatim Air Force Base in the Negev.

"The arrival of the aircraft highlights the close defense cooperation between US and Israel," the Pentagon said in a statement.

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American pilots are expected to fly the F-35 fighter jets, with nickname Adir or Mighty, from the US to Israel with a stopover in Italy, according to The Jerusalem Post. Then, two local pilots will take over the F-35 command on Tuesday.

However, the arrival of the two F-35 planes, which was built by US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, will only mark the beginning, as the country is expected to receive 48 more by 2022. Israel anticipates to receive between six to seven jets per year.

Israel, which has been granted over $3 billion US defense aid per year, will be the first nation to receive the operation F-35 squadron outside the US, the Times of Israel noted.

"The F-35 has been designed to deal with the most advanced threat systems now being fielded in the Middle East," Steve Over from Lockheed Martin said.

The F-35 stealth jets could carry several weapons and travel as fast as 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) per hour. It is unclear though if Israel's planes could deliver nuclear bombs.

Describing the F-35 jets as an "enigma," OC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel said fully understanding the plane needs to be done "switch by switch, system by system."

Meanwhile, aside from the expensive price tag of $100 million each, the delivery comes amid concerns of numerous F-35 glitches.

For instance, The Guardian noted that the F-35 radar stopped working mid-flight and only went operational when the pilot turned it off and on again. A pilot's life has also been put to risk because of some failure on the plane's ejection system. Other issues pointed are its weight, software bugs, and cyber vulnerabilities.

The welcome ceremony for the two F-35 stealth fighter jets on Monday will be attended by Israel's President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, IAF commander Eshel, and US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

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