The threat of Iranian nuclear weapons has led Israel to make changes to its F-35 Adir stealth fighters in lieu of Russian actions in Syria conceived as a catalyst for action in developing anti-jamming systems.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been preparing its F-35s for possible attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, according to sources in Israel.
The changes made by the IAF to its F-35s were behind the decision to perform heavy maintenance in Israel rather than send the stealth aircraft to a European maintenance centre. The changes being made have the intention of making the stealth aircraft more capable should Israel decide to attack nuclear sites in Iran.
The IAF has tested some of the modifications made to its F-35I Adir stealth fighters to make them more capable in a potential attack on Iran. In March 2023, the IAF participated in a joint exercise with Greece, France, Cyprus, Italy and the US.
Sources in Israel were only ready to say that the F-35 operated by the IAF would carry more fuel “in special tanks” in the non-stealth phase of the flight, noting that the added fuel was “a must” even with aerial refueling capabilities.
Special test aircraft have recently been armed with an Israeli-made precision-guided munition weighing 1,000kg. The bomb, designed to fit the weapons bay of the F-35, has been described as a weapon with “super penetration”.