The Israeli Air Force has received its second Boeing KC-46 refueling plane, out of six ordered, in a move that will significantly boost Israel’s long-range strike capabilities, the military announced.
A ceremony was held yesterday at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel to inaugurate the second refueling tanker after it arrived from the United States.
The KC-46 aircraft, known in the IAF as “Gideon,” are to replace the military’s current fleet of aging Boeing 707 refueling planes, which played a key role in Israel’s recent wars against Iran.
The military says the refuelers “enable the extension of the operational range and loiter time of fighter jets in the air, alongside advanced and multi-mission transport capabilities.”
The arrival of the KC-46 “constitutes a significant enhancement of the Air Force’s capabilities in a multi-front war and in operations in distant theaters,” the IDF adds.
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Friday, August 21, 2026
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