The new order will add to the four KC-46A aircraft approved in 2022, although none of those has yet been delivered to the Israeli Air Force. The first aircraft has already completed final assembly at Boeing’s facilities, and Israel has expressed interest in acquiring at least eight KC-46As in total, a figure previously approved by the U.S. Department of State.
The KC-46A fleet will eventually replace Israel’s ageing Boeing KC-707 aerial refuelling aircraft, which in recent years have been heavily used to support Israeli Air Force operations in the Middle East. Israel is the second export customer for the Pegasus, after Japan, while the United States Air Force has received the majority of the roughly 100 aircraft delivered to date, which have collectively flown more than 100,000 hours.
