Israel announced the maiden flight and imminent delivery of its new KC-46 “Gideon” tanker, a day after announcing an additional squadron of F-35Is and the procurement of one of its F-15IAs.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced the first flight to the United States of the new KC-46 tanker on May 4, 2026. According to a statement on LinkedIn, the tanker, which the Israeli military will name ‘Gideon’, is expected to be delivered in about a month.
This aircraft is the first of six KC-46s being procured by Israel. The statement also noted 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 consistent with Israel’s policy of customizing platforms procured abroad with systems produced by its own defense industry. Notably, Israel is the only operator licensed to modify the F-35 Lightning II, resulting in the F-35I Adir.
The announcement comes a day after Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced that its Procurement Ministerial Committee had approved the acquisition of two additional fighter squadrons. They are divided into the F-35 squadron (the fourth squadron overall) and the F-15IA squadron (the second squadron).
“The multi-billion dollar NIS deal includes full fleet integration with the Israeli Air Force, comprehensive maintenance, spare parts and logistics support,” the statement said. “This is the first step in implementing the IDF’s 10-year force build-up plan approved by the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense under a dedicated NIS 350 billion budget.”
Following approval, the Department of Defense will now move on to finalize the agreement with the United States, which will acquire the aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route. The number of aircraft was not mentioned, but recent acquisitions, including its first F-15IA squadron, have brought Israel to procure 25 aircraft for each squadron.
KC-46 for Israel
The U.S. Department of State approved the 2020 Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of KC-46 Pegasus tankers to Israel. The approval included up to eight tankers at an estimated price of $2.4 billion.
In 2021, the Israeli government approved the acquisition, paving the way for negotiations. A year later, Boeing signed a $930 million contract for the first four KC-46s, with delivery expected in 2026.
The 2025 report noted that Israel was seeking to increase its order, resulting in the procurement of two additional KC-46s. At this stage, it is unclear whether there will be more KC-46s or whether the number of aircraft will remain at six.
The KC-46 will replace Israel’s Boeing 707 “Re’em” tankers, which have been in service for about 60 years. According to available information, the Israeli Air Force currently has six 707s in service, making the KC-46 acquisition a one-for-one replacement.
F-15IA
Sales of the latest F-15 variant to Israel have reportedly been in the works for a long time. The Israeli government has already shown interest in the F-15EX, making securing additional F-35s a top priority in 2020.
Initially only 25 aircraft were requested, but it was reported that this could be increased to 50 aircraft. Sales of the MLU modification kit were also expected, as Israel has requested that 25 F-15I Ra’ams be upgraded with an avionics configuration similar to the F-15EX.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense sent a formal request to the U.S. government for 25 aircraft in 2023. In 2024, the FMS was approved under the aircraft name F-15IA (Israel Advanced).
The DSCA notice at the time noted that Israel had 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 purchase 25 aircraft.
According to Israel, deliveries were scheduled to begin in 2031 and the current contract notice states that work will be completed by 2035. It is unclear whether Israel intends to procure MLU kits at a later date, as they were not included in the contract.
Following recent approval by the Israeli Procurement Ministerial Council, Israel will now seek to acquire the remaining 25 aircraft included in the FMS, bringing the total to 50 F-15IAs.
F-35I
Israel has a long history with the F-35, becoming the first operator to sign an agreement for the FMS in 2010. At the time, the government had purchased 50 aircraft with two squadrons at Nevatim AB (air base) in the Negev Desert since 2016.
The FMS included an option for 25 additional aircraft, with procurement subsequently approved for $3 billion in 2023. Deliveries of these aircraft are expected to begin in 2027, although some reports indicate they may be delayed to 2028.
With the latest approval, Israel will now 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 the new FMS first.
As mentioned in previous reports, Israel has modified the F-35, now designated the F-35I. In fact, the IAF has always integrated its own weapons and systems (especially EW systems) on foreign-made aircraft to meet the operational needs of the country.
The full extent of the modifications is unclear, but they are known to include an improved electronic warfare suite and other classified Israeli systems. However, in the case of the F-35I, the IAF does not have access to everything like other countries, so the US may have placed restrictions on the modifications Israel will allow.
