Overview
- The Ministerial Committee on Procurement, which approved the plan Sunday, set in motion contracts for a fourth F-35I squadron and a second F-15IA squadron.
- Israel’s Defense Ministry directed its mission in the United States to work with U.S. government and military counterparts to complete the agreements.
- The deals are valued in the tens of billions of shekels and include full integration into the Israeli Air Force with sustainment, spare parts, and logistics support.
- Deliveries are expected from 2026 into the early to mid‑2030s, which would grow the fleets to roughly 100 F‑35I jets and about 50 F‑15IA jets once all aircraft arrive.
- Officials said lessons from the recent Iran campaign drove the move, pairing the stealth F‑35I for penetrating defenses with the long‑range, heavy‑payload F‑15IA, and building on a December Boeing award for 25 F‑15IAs with an option for 25 more.