June 17, 2022
Israeli military officers claim they have modified the American-made F-35 fighter jets they are buying from the US so they can attack targets in Iran without aerial refueling.
Israeli news outlets have often reported on alleged Israeli plans to bomb Iran’s nuclear installations, but the Iran Times has repeatedly pointed out that no Israeli military aircraft has the range to reach Iran AND return to Israel without aerial refueling over an Arab country.
Some have speculated that Israel might want to take advantage of its new relations with Arab states like Bahrain and the UAE to organize refueling over those countries.
But now Israeli news outlets are quoting Israeli Air Force officers as saying they have extended the range of their F-35I (the “I” meaning Israeli) jets so as to reach Iran (and return) without refueling.
The Aviationist, a Rome-based website on military aviation, said Israel has developed external fuel tanks that will increase its takeoff fuel by 40 percent and extend its range from 1,100 kilometers to 1,540 kilometers.
The distance from Israel to Natanz, Iran’s main nuclear site in central Iran, is 1,600 kilometers in a straight line over Jordan and Iraq. The difference of 60 kilometers is well within the margin of error for The Aviationist’s calculations, but would not allow Israeli aircraft much margin for evasive actions.