Israel announced the maiden flight and imminent delivery of the new KC-46 “Gideon” tanker aircraft, a day after the announcement of the acquisition of an additional squadron of F-35I and one of F-15IA.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced on May 4, 2026 the first flight to the United States of its new KC-46 tanker aircraft. The tanker, which will be designated “Gideon” by the Israeli military, will be delivered in about a month, according to a statement on LinkedIn.
The aircraft is the first of six KC-46s that Israel is acquiring. The statement further mentions that the tanker “will be equipped with Israeli systems and will adapt to the operational requirements of the Israeli Air Force, allowing it to expand operational range and maintain air superiority in all theaters.”
This is in line with Israel’s policy of heavily customizing platforms acquired abroad with systems produced by its own defense industry. Notably, Israel is the only operator that has been granted permission to modify the F-35 Lightning II, resulting in the F-35I Adir.
The announcement comes a day after the Israeli Defense Ministry said the Ministerial Acquisition Committee approved the acquisition of two additional fighter squadrons. These will be divided into an F-35 squadron (fourth overall) and an F-15IA squadron (second).
“The agreements, valued in tens of billions of NIS, include full integration of the fleet into the Israeli Air Force, comprehensive maintenance, spare parts and logistical support,” a statement said. “This is the first step in the execution of the IDF’s decade-long force increase plan, approved by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense with a specific budget of NIS 350 billion.”
Following the approval, the MoD will now move forward to finalize agreements with the US, which will see the aircraft procured through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route. While the number of aircraft has not been mentioned, in recent acquisitions, including the first F-15IA squadron, Israel acquired 25 aircraft for each squadron.
KC-46 for Israel
The US State Department approved a foreign military sale (FMS) of the KC-46 Pegasus tanker to Israel in 2020. The approval included up to eight tankers for an estimated price of $2.4 billion.
In 2021, the Israeli government approved the acquisition, paving the way for negotiations. A year later, Boeing won a contract worth $930 million for the first four KC-46s, with deliveries expected in 2026.
Reports from 2025 mentioned that Israel was looking to increase the order and thus two more KC-46s were acquired. At this time, it is unclear whether the KC-46 will increase further or whether it will remain at six airframes.
The KC-46 will replace the Israeli Boeing 707 “Re’em” tankers that have been operating for approximately 60 years. According to available information, six 707s are currently in service with the Israeli Air Force, making the KC-46 acquisition a one-for-one replacement.
The F-15IA
It has long been reported that the sale of the newest variant of the F-15 to Israel is in the works. The Israeli government already showed interest in the F-15EX in 2020, when the acquisition of more F-35s and F-15s was included among the top priorities.
Only 25 aircraft were initially ordered, although it was reported that this could be increased to 50. The sale of the MLU modification kits was also expected, as Israel requested the upgrade of its 25 F-15I Ra’am to an avionics configuration similar to the F-15EX.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense sent an official request letter to the US government in 2023, outlining the need for 25 airframes. In 2024, the FMS was approved and the aircraft was named F-15IA (Israel Advanced).
At the time, the DSCA notice mentioned that Israel requested the sale of up to 50 F-15IAs, along with 25 MLU modification kits. Ultimately, in December 2025, Israel signed a contract worth up to $8.5 billion to acquire 25 aircraft.
According to Israel, deliveries were planned to begin in 2031, and the contract notice now mentions that work must be completed in 2035. It is unclear whether Israel still intends to procure the MLU kits at a later date, as they were not included in the contract.
Following recent approval by Israel’s Ministerial Procurement Committee, Israel will now work to acquire the remaining 25 aircraft that were included in the FMS, bringing the fleet total to 50 F-15IA.
The F-35I
Israel has a long history with the F-35, becoming the first operator to sign a Letter of Agreement for the FMS in 2010. At that time, the government acquired 50 aircraft, which equipped two squadrons at Nevatim AB (Air Base), in the Negev Desert, as of 2016.
The FMS included an option for 25 more aircraft, the acquisition of which was later approved in 2023 for $3 billion. Deliveries of these aircraft are expected to begin in 2027, although some reports mention that they could have been 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 included up to 75 aircraft, Israel will likely have to wait for approval of a new FMS first.
As we mentioned in our previous report, Israel has modified its F-35s, now designated the F-35I. In fact, the IAF has always integrated its own weapons and systems (especially EW systems) in its foreign-made aircraft to meet the country’s operational needs.
The full scope of the modifications is unclear, but they are known to include an upgraded Electronic Warfare suite and other classified Israeli systems. However, with the F-35I the IAF does not have access to everything, like other countries, so the US could have imposed a limit on the modifications that Israel would be allowed to make.
