Israel’s Air Force flies a number of American aircraft — but they are uniquely tailored and feature a slew of modifications to meet Israel’s specific operational requirements.
Broadly, these modifications are about increasing survivability and range, as well as improving electronic warfare capabilities and providing better compatibility with indigenous Israeli weaponry.
The three prime examples of these modifications are the F-35I Adir, the F-16I Sufa, and the F-15I Ra’am.
This, in some respects, creates a problem for the Israeli Air Force, as now expectations are high that Iran, the Houthis, or anyone else can take on Israel and win.
F-35I Adir: The Best of Israel’s Air Force
The F-35I Adir is Israel’s variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35, a fifth-generation stealth fighter. Although all F-35s share advanced sensor fusion, low observability, and networked warfare capabilities, across the three variants, Israel’s F-35I is, to date, the only F-35 version that the United States approved for modifications.
Israel has successfully integrated its own electronic warfare systems onto the jet, and it flies with a mix of American and Israeli weaponry, giving Israel’s F-35I a degree of independence from American logistic support.
Flying with an Israeli sensor suite, the jet’s data-sharing abilities allow it to integrate more smoothly with other Israeli platforms.
And by all accounts, the modification initiative has been successful. Most recently, in October, Israeli F-35Is took out a number of targets in Iran in retaliation for a missile barrage last year.
Despite flying through what should have been well-protected, contested environments, Israeli jets managed to take out Iran’s Russian-supplied air defense systems without any losses.
F-16I Sufa
Israel’s F-16I Sufa is an advanced version of the F-16, designed from the outset for long-range strikes. To that end, the F-16I features large conformal fuel tanks along its fuselage that extend the jet’s range.
Range extension is an asset for any aircraft but is particularly relevant to Israel. Though the country does have a small fleet of aerial refueling aircraft, those aircraft are older Boeing 707 passenger airlines modified for refueling and, as such, less capable than modern, dedicated aerial refueling aircraft.
Israeli F-16Is also sport a second seat behind the pilot for a weapons officer. While the addition of space for another flight officer reduces range somewhat, this is more than made up for by the conformal fuel tanks improve the jet’s ground attack capabilities and make the F-16I better suited to long-range strike missions, the suppression of enemy air defenses, and precision strike on targets of strategic value.
F-15I Ra’am
Though the F-16I does possess deep-strike capabilities, the F-15I Ra’am is Israel’s primary long-range strike aircraft. Similarly to the F-16I, the F-15I trades some of its air superiority capabilities in favor of improving strike ability. Thanks to the jet’s twin-engine design and significant payload capacity — and like the F-16I, conformal fuel tanks — the F-15I is employed by Israel as a strategic bomber.
Notably, the jet’s side-mounted conformal fuel tanks have hardpoints themselves, giving the jet an expanded payload capacity, a boon for long-range strike missions that require a large amount of payload on target, against fortified buildings, and other well-defended targets.
Israel’s modifications to American aircraft are a reflection of the small country’s immediate security requirements: deep strikes against targets of strategic value in highly-contested airspace.
By increasing the amount of fuel each aircraft carries, Israel is able to partly make up for their lack of a modern air-to-air refueling capability.
With modifications to the jet’s electronics, the Israeli Air Force is also able to attain a greater degree of strategic independence from foreign ammunition supplies and better integration with domestic weaponry.
Israel’s Air Force: A Photo Essay
F-35I Adir. Image: Creative Commons.
F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Israeli Air Force F-35I. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
F-35I Adir. Lockheed Martin Photo
F-35I Adir. Image: Creative Commons.
F-35I Adir. Image: Creative Commons/IDF.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
