Israel Air and Space Force KC-46A Delivered

The Israel Air and Space Force took delivery of its first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker, given the Hebrew service name Gideon. The aircraft replaces ageing Boeing 707 based tankers that had underpinned Israeli long-range strike reach for decades and which were becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. The KC-46A adds a modern boom and drogue refuelling capability, greater fuel offload and a defensive systems fit suited to operations near contested airspace. The delivery followed a campaign in which Israeli aircraft conducted repeated long-range missions against Iran, underlining the operational value of organic tanker capacity.