Israel Is Giving The F-35I A Much Longer Arm Israel already has the F-15 for long range strikes with weapons like Golden Horizon. But what Israel is doing with the F-35I really caught my attention. Israel is developing low observable extended range fuel tanks for the F-35I. The exact range increase is not public, but the whole point is clear. More fuel means more reach, more time on station and less dependence on aerial refueling during long range missions. And this matters a lot when you are talking about missions as far away as Iran. A tanker gives you range, but it also creates another dependency. You need the tanker, you need the right timing and you need to protect that tanker. If the F-35I can carry more fuel from the start, Israel gets more freedom on long range missions. Then you have SPICE 1000. A 1,000 lb precision stand off weapon with a reported range of more than 120 km. The F-35I already uses the GBU 31 JDAM, which is much heavier and more destructive than the small GBU 39 SDB. But the GBU 31 has a major limitation. Its range is only around 24 km class, depending on launch conditions. The GBU 39 can reach 70+ km, but it is only a small 250 lb class weapon. This is where SPICE 1000 really gets interesting. You are talking about a 1,000 lb class weapon with more than 120 km of stand off range. So now the F-35I has the potential to fly farther, stay longer and release a much heavier weapon from much farther away. That is a serious combination. More fuel gives it longer legs. Stealth makes it harder to find. Sensors give it awareness. SPICE 1000 gives it a much longer arm. And when you put all of that together, the F-35I starts looking less like just a stealth fighter and more like a long range strike beast. Israel is building an F-35I that can reach farther, rely less on tankers and strike from farther away. That is a very different level of long range air power.