'Israel' to buy $500 million Boeing KC-46 tankers with US military aid

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Aug 2025 20:32
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"Israel" is set to purchase two Boeing KC-46 aerial refuelling tankers in a $500 million US-funded deal, as the security ministry says the aircraft will boost long-range strike capabilities amid regional tensions.

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Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike east of Khan Younis, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP)

"Israel" plans to acquire two Boeing KC-46 aerial refuelling tankers in a $500 million deal funded through US military aid, the Israeli security ministry announced on Wednesday. The ministry said the agreement will be signed with Washington once "Israel’s" ministerial committee for security procurement approves the purchase.

The US government oversees foreign military sales and transfers, including the sale of advanced aircraft such as the KC-46.

According to the security ministry, "Israel" already operates four Boeing-made KC-46s. The new order will further expand the fleet.

Amir Baram, the ministry’s Director General, said the aircraft would enhance the military’s “long-range strategic capabilities,” allowing it to project power farther afield with greater force and scope. The statement also noted that the planes will be equipped with additional Israeli systems, though no details were provided.

Tankers Previously Used in "Israel"-Iran Air War

The ministry highlighted that similar aerial refuelling tankers were employed during "Israel’s" 12-day war against Iran in June. The KC-46s played a role in extending the operational reach of Israeli warplanes during the offensive.

The contract, valued at roughly half a billion US dollars, is financed entirely through Washington’s annual military aid to "Israel." The United States provides billions of dollars each year to fund the purchase of American-made weapons and equipment for its Middle East ally.

Pro or anti? The US divided on more military aid

However, a growing debate in Washington has put future aid under scrutiny. Some Republicans and Democrats have questioned whether the US should continue supplying "Israel" with large-scale military assistance, citing its ongoing war in Gaza and arguing that taxpayer dollars might be better spent on domestic priorities.

Top Pentagon officials are split over the extent of US military backing for "Israel", a division poised to influence President Donald Trump’s second-term foreign policy direction, Ben Smith, founder of news website Semafor, wrote in a recent exclusive publication.

General Michael Kurilla, chief of US Central Command, has advocated for increased resources to defend "Israel" amid growing Iranian retaliation. In contrast, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, a key proponent of the "restrainer" movement, has opposed diverting US military assets from Asia to the Middle East.

The Iran war embodied the core tension for Colby and his allies: the US has long aimed to fulfill the "pivot to Asia" strategy first announced by Barack Obama in 2011, but practical demands and political pressures continually refocus US military engagement on the Middle East.