{"id":113224,"date":"2026-05-14T08:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T08:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/113224\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T08:55:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T08:55:12","slug":"israel-signs-34m-elbit-deal-to-extend-f-35-adir-fighter-jet-range","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/113224\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel signs $34m. Elbit deal to extend F-35 \u2018Adir\u2019 fighter jet range"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel’s Defense Ministry signed a contract with Elbit Systems<\/a> subsidiary Cyclone to develop an extended-range capability for the F-35 “Adir” fighter jet<\/a>, in what Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post understands is the first time F-35s will be equipped with external fuel tanks.<\/p>\n

The deal, valued at over $34 million, or more than NIS 100 million, was signed through the Defense Procurement Directorate and will cover the development and integration of external fuel tanks for the Lockheed Martin-manufactured aircraft.<\/p>\n

The ministry said the contract is part of its broader force buildup strategy, led by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Defense Ministry Director-General Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amir Baram.<\/p>\n

The tanks will be based on an existing Cyclone design originally developed for the F-16 fighter jet, read a statement issued by the ministry.<\/p>\n

The new capability is expected to extend the F-35\u2019s operational range, reduce its reliance on aerial refueling, and enhance operational flexibility during long-range missions. Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post understands that it would be the first time F-35s are equipped with external fuel tanks on the stealth aircraft flown by over a dozen nations worldwide.<\/p>\n

D&T understands that the aircraft with external fuel tanks will undergo rigorous testing to determine whether the additional fuel tanks affect the aircraft’s stealth capabilities, an important component of fifth-generation aircraft.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Israel announced a blockbuster decision<\/a> to double the size of its F-35 fleet from 50 to 100 and its new F-15IA fleet from 25 to 50.<\/p>\n

The decision reflects a radical post-October 7 world<\/a>: Israel will increase defense spending over the next 10 years by NIS 350 billion, in addition to annual defense spending that has risen from under NIS 100 billion to nearly NIS 150 billion.<\/p>\n

According to the \u00a0Defense Ministry, these steps reflect a strategy aimed at strengthening Israel\u2019s readiness for what the ministry described as an intense security decade ahead, while maintaining the country\u2019s aerial and strategic superiority in the region.<\/p>\n

Yonah Jeremy Bob, Anna Ahronheim, and Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israel’s Defense Ministry signed a contract with Elbit Systems subsidiary Cyclone to develop an extended-range capability for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113225,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[2382,6310,2384,10885,513,2090,37,99,92],"class_list":{"0":"post-113224","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-defense-industry","9":"tag-defense-ministry","10":"tag-defense-tech","11":"tag-elbit-systems","12":"tag-fighter-jets","13":"tag-iaf","14":"tag-israel","15":"tag-israel-katz","16":"tag-operation-roaring-lion"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116572095939671696","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}