Israel to extend F-35I range amid war with Iran

JERUSALEM — Israel will develop a system for extending the range of its F-35I ‘Adir’ fighter jets, Israel’s defense ministry announced May 14.

Officials didn’t specify a target range for the upgraded aircraft. The F-35A — the model on which the Israeli version is based — currently has a range of 1,200 miles (2,220 kilometers), as stated on the manufacturer’s website.

But the ministry mentioned that the development and implementation will involve adapting external fuel tanks based on an existing Cyclone design of the F-16I “Sufa,” Israel’s variant of the F-16, which has a reported range of approximately 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers).

Elbit Systems was awarded the development contract, valued at approximately $34 million (100 million NIS).

The announcement comes amid a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, and roughly a month after the Israeli military operation “Lion’s Roar,” in which the Israeli Air Force struck targets deep inside Iran. During that operation, an F-35I scored the first air-to-air kill ever credited to an F-35 in combat, shooting down an Iranian Yak-130 — a Russian-built jet trainer used in a light-attack role.

Israel currently operates 50 F-35I aircraft across two squadrons. It is beginning to take delivery of 25 additional jets ordered in 2023, and earlier this month announced the opening of negotiations to purchase 25 more — a move that would bring the total fleet to 100 aircraft and expand Israel’s F-35I force to four squadrons.

The F-35I “Adir” is a fifth-generation multi-mission stealth fighter aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin and used by the Israeli Air Force as a model specifically tailored to its requirements.

The aircraft combines stealth technologies, advanced data fusion, the ability to carry internal weapons, and includes Israeli-made electronic warfare, communications, and computing systems, which are embedded in the American infrastructure.