During the course of this morning, the Israeli Air Force announced that it will expand its KC-46A Pegasus fleet with the purchase of two additional refueling aircraft from the U.S., establishing these as the fifth and sixth to operate under the institution’s authority. Specifically, this is an agreement to be signed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense in a government-to-government arrangement through the delegation that the country maintains in U.S. territory, already having the corresponding approval from the Ministerial Acquisitions Committee.
Expanding on the details, official communications issued via social media indicate that the agreement would be worth over 500 million dollars, funds that would come from U.S. government aid to its Israeli partner. In addition, although no details were provided regarding the specific systems involved, it was stated that the new aircraft will incorporate components produced by the local military-industrial complex in order to adapt the KC-46A Pegasus to the requirements of the institution.
Regarding these matters, the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Amir Baram, stated: “The fifth and sixth tanker aircraft will strengthen the Air Force, the long-range strategic arm of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), to reach very distant areas with greater force and range. We will continue working together to strengthen the IDF in the current campaign and face future challenges.”
Meanwhile, Boeing, the manufacturer of the mentioned aircraft, expressed the following through the president of Boeing Israel, Ido Nehushtan: “Boeing is proud of its long collaboration with Israel, which dates back to the founding of the State. The expansion of the agreement with two more tanker aircraft will strengthen the Israeli Air Force with the world’s most advanced tankers.”
It is worth recalling that the contract for the first four KC-46 refueling aircraft was awarded to the aforementioned company in 2022, requiring an investment of approximately 927 million dollars under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The purpose of the acquisition by the Israeli Air Force was to advance the replacement of its older Boeing 707 Re’em aircraft, specifically requesting during the process that deliveries be accelerated in order to receive the new units as soon as possible.
Looking further into the matter, it is also useful to highlight that Israel and Boeing have not only previously partnered for the acquisition of this type of platform, but also to equip the Israeli Air Force with advanced F-15EX fighter-bombers. Specifically, Jerusalem formally proceeded for the first time with the submission of the Letter of Request (LOR) to the U.S. in January 2023, aiming to acquire an initial batch of 25 aircraft and gradually replace its F-15 Eagle (C/D/E) fighters.
As with the aforementioned KC-46 case, Israel also sought that the U.S. specially accelerate the scheduled delivery timelines for the F-15EX, in addition to its new F-35I stealth fighters and a squadron of AH-64E helicopters that had been acquired. This series of described orders took place in the context of the early stages of the war the country still conducts against terrorist groups operating from neighboring nations with support from Iran, pursuing an attack strategy that allows the F-35 to act as the spearhead to neutralize enemy air defense systems and thus clear the way for higher-capacity F-15EX attacks.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
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