One day after announcing the acquisition of an additional F-35I squadron and an F-15IA squadron, Israel announced that its new KC-46 Gideon tanker aircraft will soon make its first flight and is about to be delivered.
The Israeli Defense Ministry announced that its new fighter jet will make its first flight in the United States on May 4, 2026 KC-46 tanker. The tanker, which will be named “Gideon” by the Israeli military, is expected to be delivered in about a month, according to a statement on LinkedIn.
The aircraft is the first of six KC-46s purchased by Israel. The statement further mentioned that the tanker “will be equipped with Israeli systems and adapted to the operational requirements of the Israeli Air Force, allowing it to expand its operational range and maintain air superiority in all theaters.”
This is in line with Israel’s policy of mass customizing foreign-sourced platforms using systems produced by its own defense industry. Notably, Israel is the only operator to receive a modification license F-35 Lightning IIresulting in the F-35I Adir.
Just a day before this news was released, the Israeli Ministry of Defense said that the Ministerial Procurement Committee approved the purchase of two additional fighter squadrons. The aircraft will be divided into one F-35 squadron (fourth) and one F-15IA squadron (second).
“These transactions are worth tens of billions of NIS and include the integration of the entire fleet into the Israeli Air Force, comprehensive support, spare parts and logistical support,” a statement said. “This is the first step in the execution of the IDF's decade-long force-building plan, approved by the Prime Minister and Defense Minister under a dedicated budget of NIS 350 billion.”
Following the approval, the Ministry of Defense will now move on to finalizing an agreement with the United States, which will see the aircraft purchased through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route. While the number of aircraft was not mentioned, recent acquisitions – including the first F-15IA Squadron – Israel purchased 25 aircraft for each squadron.
KC-46 Israel
U.S. State Department approves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) KC-46 Pegasus tanker Flying to Israel in 2020. The approved projects include up to eight tankers with an estimated price tag of $2.4 billion.
In 2021, the Israeli government approved the acquisition, clearing the way for negotiations. A year later, Boeing won a contract worth US$930 million to produce the first four KC-46s, which are expected to be delivered in 2026.
Reports in 2025 mentioned that Israel was looking to increase its orders and therefore purchased two more KC-46s. It is unclear at this stage whether the number of KC-46s will be further increased or will remain at 6 airframes.
KC-46 to replace Israel Boeing 707 “Re'em” tanker Has been in operation for approximately 60 years. According to available information, the Israeli Air Force currently has six 707 aircraft in service, making the purchase of the KC-46 a one-to-one replacement.
F-15IA
According to reports, news of the sale of the latest F-15 to Israel has long been reported. The Israeli government has shown interest F-15EX In 2020, purchasing more F-35s and F-15s is listed as a top priority.
initial Only 25 aircraft requiredalthough it is reported that this may be increased to 50 aircraft. The sale of MLU modification kits was also expected, as Israel has requested that its 25 F-15I Ra'am be upgraded to an avionics configuration similar to that of the F-15EX.
The Israeli Defense Ministry issued a formal request letter to the U.S. government in 2023, describing a need for 25 airframes. In 2024, the FMS was approved and the aircraft was named F-15IA (Israeli Advanced).
then, Notice from the National Tourism Administration It was mentioned that Israel requested the sale of up to 50 F-15IAs and 25 MLU modification kits. Finally, in December 2025, Israel signed a contract worth up to $8.5 billion to purchase 25 aircraft.
According to Israel, deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2031, and the contract notice now mentions that work will be completed by 2035. It is unclear whether Israel still intends to procure the MLU kits at a later date, as they are not included in the contract.
Following recent approval from Israel's Ministerial Procurement Council, Israel will now work to procure the remaining 25 aircraft in the FMS, bringing the total fleet to 50 F-15IAs.
F-35I
Israel has a long history with the F-35, becoming the first operator to sign an FMS letter of agreement in 2010. At that time, the government purchased 50 aircraft and equipped two squadrons Nevatim (Air Force Base), in the Negev Desert, from 2016.
FMS includes an option another 25 aircraftwhose procurement was later approved in 2023 for $3 billion. Deliveries of these aircraft are expected to begin in 2027, although some reports have mentioned that this may be delayed until 2028.
With the recent approval, Israel is now ready to further increase its F-35 fleet to 100 aircraft. Since the initial FMS includes up to 75 aircraft, Israel may first have to wait for the new FMS to be approved.
As mentioned in our previous report, Israel Modifies F-35now designated F-35Is. In fact, the Indian Air Force has been integrating its own weapons and systems, especially electronic warfare systems, onto its foreign-made aircraft to meet the country's operational needs.
The full scope of the modifications is not yet known, but they are known to include improved electronic warfare suite and other classified Israeli systems. However, with the F-35I, the Indian Air Force does not have access to all the information that other countries do, so the United States may impose restrictions on modifications made by Israel.
