Israel will purchase a fourth squadron of F-35I stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin and a second squadron of F-15IA jets from Boeing, the Defense Ministry announced Sunday, citing lessons from its war with Iran.
A ministerial procurement committee approved the deals — valued at tens of billions of shekels — over the weekend. Once delivered, the new aircraft will bring the Israeli Air Force’s F-35I fleet to 100 jets and its F-15IA fleet to 50.
Israel currently operates 48 F-35I jets and has another 25 on order for delivery starting in 2028. A first batch of 25 F-15IAs, ordered in 2024, is expected to begin arriving in 2031.
Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said the war with Iran “once again demonstrated the Israeli Air Force’s power” and required Israel to “keep pressing forward on force buildup, to ensure air superiority for decades to come.”
The announcement came as Israel continues to absorb large shipments of American military equipment. Last week, two cargo ships and several aircraft delivered 6,500 tons of munitions, military trucks, and JLTV combat vehicles to the ports of Haifa and Ashdod. Since the war began on February 28, more than 115,600 tons of US military equipment have arrived in Israel aboard 403 flights and 10 ships.
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