In the post-October 7 era, Israel is expected to double its fleets of both aircraft, potentially leading to a windfall for their US manufacturers.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) could soon be flying more American-made aircraft—excellent news for Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the two main manufacturers of Israeli aircraft. Specifically, the IAF is seeking to double both its F-35 Lightning II/Adir and F-15IA fleets, increasing their fleets of the respective aircraft from 50 to 100 and from 25 to 50.

“The decision reflects a radical post-October 7 world: Israel will increase defense spending over the next 10 years,” The Jerusalem Post reported. Israel is expected to increase its spending by NIS 350 billion ($119 billion) over that period.

The October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks conducted by Hamas from Gaza sparked the largest conflict in the Middle East in decades. This was soon followed by two conflicts with Iran, a backer of Hamas as well as the Lebanon-based Hezbollah. Those events have spurred Israel to increase the fleets of both aircraft, as the F-35I Adirs, the Israel-specific variant of the fifth-generation stealth multirole Joint Strike Fighter, and its aging F-15Is were used in the campaigns to cripple the Islamic Republic’s air defenses and hit its nuclear facilities.

“Operation Roaring Lion once again demonstrated the Israeli Air Force’s power and its decisive role in protecting Israel. The lessons of that campaign require us to keep pressing forward on force buildup, to ensure air superiority for decades to come,” Defense Minister Israel Katz told the country’s lawmakers earlier this week, using Israel’s name for the ongoing war against Iran.

“Israel is stronger than ever, and Israel must always be much stronger than our enemies,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said following the announcement of the deal. “Our pilots can reach anywhere in Iran’s skies, and they are prepared to do so if required. We have great aircraft, and we have great pilots.”

One of those pilots can be credited for the first F-35I air-to-air kill, which occurred in March when an Adir shot down an Iranian Air Force Russian-made Yak-130 (NATO reporting name “Mitten”) subsonic light combat aircraft. That exchange was not exactly a fair fight, given the F-35’s definitive superiority over the aging trainer jet.

New IAF Squadrons for “Shield of Israel”

The acquisitions would allow for the formation of at least a fourth F-35I squadron and a second F-15IA squadron. The initial 25 F-15IAs were purchased from US aerospace giant Boeing as part of an $8.6 billion US aid package last December.

“The procurement agreement at the time included an option to expand the purchase to 25 additional aircraft in the future,” Defense News reported.

The US aircraft have been seen as an essential component of the ongoing “Shield of Israel” initiative, which ensures that the IAF maintains a lasting qualitative edge over its neighbors.

Israel was among the earliest adopters of the F-35 Lightning II, joining the program in 2010, but operates a unique variant with a domestically developed electronic warfare and sensor suite, further enabling the aircraft to remain cutting-edge for decades to come. The IAF initially acquired 50 F-35s, but that number was expanded to 75 to allow for the formation of a third squadron. Delivery of those aircraft won’t begin until 2027, and it could be well into the 2030s when four F-35I Adir squadrons are operational.

It may take nearly as long for all the F-15IAs to arrive.

About Israel’s Unique Fighter Jet Variants

The IAF declared its F-35 fleet operationally capable in December 2017, marking the completion of an intensive integration and training effort conducted at Nevatim Air Force Base (AFB), Israel. Israel remains the only operator of the advanced stealth aircraft in the Middle East, and there are two IAF squadrons equipped with the F-35I Adir (meaning “Mighty One” in Hebrew), the specially modified “Israeli only” version of the Lightning II.

The F-15IA (Israel Advanced) is the local designation of the Boeing F-15EX Eagle II. The improvements are as significant as those of the F-35I, but the F-15IA can still carry out deep-strike, air superiority, and payload-heavy missions required by the IAF.

The sale of upwards of 50 F-15IAs was approved in August 2024 during the Biden Administration. Work will be performed at Boeing’s St. Louis, Missouri, facilities, and delivery of the aircraft is expected by the end of 2035.

It was in January that the IAF first explored increasing the order size.

Aircraft	F-15IA	F-35I Adir
Year Introduced	2021	2016
Number Built	129+ (production ongoing)	~48 (50 expected soon, 100 eventually)
Length	63.8 ft (19.44 m)	51.4 ft (15.7 m)
Wingspan	42.8 ft (13 m)	35 ft (10.7 m)
Weight (MTOW)	81,000 lb (36,740 kg)	~70,000 lbs (31,751 kg)
Engines	Two General Electric F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofans	One Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan
Top Speed	1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) / Mach 2.5	~1,200 mph (1,930 km/h) / Mach 1.6+
Range	2,762 mi (4,445 km)	~1,380 mi (2,220 km)
Service Ceiling	~60,000 ft (18,300 m)	50,000+ ft (15,240 m)
Loadout	M61A1 20mm rotary cannon; 23 hardpoints for external fuel/ordnance; 29,500 lb (13,380 kg) payload	25mm GAU-22/A rotary cannon; internal weapons bays + external hardpoints; up to 18,000 lb (8,165 kg) payload
Aircrew	2 (pilot + weapons systems officer)	1

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciuhascontributedto dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also acontributing writerfor Forbes andClearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter:@PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org. 

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