Israel Signs $34M Contract for External Fuel Tanks on F-35I Adir

The Israeli Ministry of Defense signed a contract with Cyclone, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems, to develop and integrate external fuel tanks for the F-35I Adir fighter aircraft. The contract is valued at over $34 million. The tanks will be based on an existing Cyclone design originally developed for the F-16.

Elbit Systems posted on X on May 14, 2026, announcing that Israel_MOD signed a contract with Cyclone for an extended-range capability for the F-35 Adir. "The new capability is expected to extend the aircraft’s operational range, reduce reliance on aerial refueling, and enhance operational flexibility across long-range missions," the company stated.

The announcement comes after Israeli F-35I Adirs conducted extensive combat operations striking targets in Iran during campaigns in 2025 and 2026.

Those operations highlighted the limitations of Israel’s tanker fleet, which consists of only around seven aging Boeing 707 tankers. The first of Israel’s KC-46 tankers began flight trials earlier this month as of May 2026. External drop tanks were found in multiple locations in eastern Iraq during operations against Iran.

In 2022, reports emerged suggesting Israel had developed a means of extending the range of its F-35Is to hit targets in Iran without aerial refueling. The Israeli Air Force has also been seen flying F-35Is with external ordnance including four 2,000-pound-class GBU-31 JDAMs plus AMRAAMs. The inboard stores hardpoints on the F-35 are plumbed for the carriage of external fuel tanks.

Israeli Aerospace Industries and Cyclone worked on both a conformal tank design for the F-35I and the 600-gallon drop tank. The F-35I test aircraft arrived in Israel in 2020. In 2019, Lockheed Martin studied adding two 600-gallon drop tanks under the F-35’s wings, which would increase total fuel capacity by around 40 percent.

Studies had looked at adding smaller 480- and 460-gallon tanks for the F-35. The original 480-gallon drop tank design for the F-35 was abandoned after aerodynamic and stores separation issues. In 2021, Lockheed Martin announced it was working with an unnamed foreign buyer on a modification of the F-35 involving tens of millions of dollars in engineering support work.

In 2025, range-extending external fuel tanks for the F-35 re-emerged as part of the Block 4 modernization effort. The Pentagon confirmed it will explore the feasibility of all forms of external fuel tanks, including underwing tanks, for all three variants of the F-35. The F-35I fleet is expected to be armed with the Rafael SPICE precision-guided bomb.

In 2018, Israel became the first operator to use the F-35 on offensive operations. On March 4, 2026, an Israeli F-35I shot down an Iranian Yak-130 Mitten combat trainer over Tehran. Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar congratulated the F-35I pilot who carried out the first-ever shoot-down of an Iranian fighter jet over Tehran.

In 2023, Israel opted to buy a third squadron of 25 F-35Is scheduled to be delivered starting in 2028. Earlier this month as of May 2026, it was confirmed that the Israeli Air Force is set to receive a fourth F-35I squadron of 25 aircraft. Once all four squadrons are stood up, Israel will have a total of 100 F-35Is.