The projects are detailed in the F-35 Modernized Selected Acquisition Report prepared for the fiscal 2027 U.S. president’s budget. The document, effective April 21 and cleared for publication on August 3, provides a rare official account of Israel’s efforts to adapt the stealth fighter to its national requirements.
Integration of the Israeli-specific Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective 1000B, known as SPICE 1000B, continues to progress. The report says Israel is pursuing a strategy to accelerate the work through what it describes as a “SPICE Lite” process.
Studies and coordination are also underway to integrate extended-range fuel tanks and an electronic-warfare pod for the Israeli Air Force. Together, the three projects would combine an Israeli precision-strike weapon with additional fuel capacity and a nationally tailored electronic-warfare configuration.
The report does not provide fielding dates for the SPICE 1000B, fuel tanks or electronic-warfare pod. It also offers no technical details on the tanks or pod and does not specify which aircraft will receive the upgrades first.
Israel’s work reflects the distinct position of the F-35I within the wider international programme. While the aircraft remains part of the global F-35 enterprise, the Israeli configuration incorporates capabilities developed around the country’s own operational requirements.
The upgrade effort is progressing alongside the arrival of aircraft equipped with Technology Refresh 3 hardware. The Israeli Air Force received three TR-3 aircraft in January 2026, with two more scheduled to be ferried to Israel in December.
Those deliveries will complete the 50-aircraft quantity covered by Israel’s IS-D-SAC foreign military sales case. TR-3 provides the computing power and memory required to support the F-35 programme’s broader pipeline of future capabilities.
Israel is also expanding the infrastructure needed to support a third F-35I squadron. An amendment implemented on March 6 covers ancillary equipment and work required to establish the new operating location.
Site activation is underway ahead of the first planned delivery of aircraft for the third squadron in 2028. The additional jets are being acquired through a separate foreign military sales case identified in the report as IS-D-SAI.
The report lists Israel’s F-35 programme at 75 aircraft, comprising an initial 25 aircraft and a further 50. The associated funding recorded in the document totals approximately $12.82 billion.
Israel’s modernization agenda is developing on two tracks: expanding the size of the fleet and adding national systems to the aircraft already entering service. The SPICE 1000B, extended-range tanks and electronic-warfare pod are central to that effort, although their integration schedules remain undisclosed.
