F-35I Adir: How Israel’s Stealth Fighter Is Different

The F-35I Adir is the Israeli Air Force version of the F-35A, and the only F-35 that a foreign customer has been allowed to modify with its own electronics and weapons. Israel has ordered 100 in four batches and has used the aircraft in combat more than any other country.

Adir is Hebrew for mighty. The airframe, engine and radar are the same as on any F-35A; what differs is the software layer Israel adds on top, the weapons it carries and the freedom Israel has to maintain and update the jets itself. This guide explains what sets the F-35I Adir apart.

What is the F-35I Adir?

It is a conventional takeoff F-35A built at Fort Worth and delivered to a standard that lets Israel fit national systems. Israel signed for its first aircraft in October 2010, the first two landed at Nevatim Air Base in the Negev on 12 December 2016, and the air force declared the type operational a year later.

The jets fly with three squadrons at Nevatim: 140 Squadron, 116 Squadron and 117 Squadron. A further aircraft, delivered in November 2020, is a dedicated test machine at the Flight Test Centre at Tel Nof. No other foreign air force has its own F-35 testbed.

How is the F-35I different from a standard F-35A?

The difference is access. Other customers receive the aircraft as a closed system and depend on US-run laboratories for the threat libraries that tell it what it is looking at. Israel negotiated the right to add to the jet and to do that work at home.

Israeli officials have compared the arrangement to running national apps on a phone someone else built. The core software stays American, but Israel can add functions without asking the manufacturer to write them. Why mission data matters is explained in F-35 electronic warfare.

What does Israel build for the F-35?

Israel is a supplier as well as a customer. Israel Aerospace Industries makes outer wing sets for F-35As at its plant near Tel Aviv. Elbit Systems is a partner in the company that makes the helmet used by every F-35 pilot, and its subsidiary Cyclone makes composite parts.

Cyclone also holds the newest contract. On 14 May 2026 the Israeli defence ministry awarded it more than $34 million to develop external fuel tanks for the Adir. The missions against Iran involve round trips of about 3,000 km and heavy tanker use, as described in how long an F-35 can stay in the air.

What is the F-35I’s combat record?

The longest of any F-35. Israel announced the first combat use of the type in May 2018. Its jets shot down two Iranian drones in March 2021 and a cruise missile launched from Yemen in 2023, and they have flown in the Gaza war, against Hezbollah in Lebanon and on raids to Yemen.

Against Iran the Adir has been Israel’s lead aircraft. It took part in the strikes of October 2024 and the twelve-day war of June 2025, when Israel says its stealth fighters opened the way by attacking air defences. On 4 March 2026 an F-35I destroyed an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran, the first kill of a crewed aircraft by any F-35. Iran has claimed to have shot down Israeli F-35s; Israel denies it and no evidence has been produced. The full account is in the F-35 combat record.

Why does Israel get special terms?

Two reasons. US law commits Washington to preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge over its neighbours, which shapes every regional arms sale. And Israel insisted from the start that it would not buy an aircraft it could not adapt, as it has adapted every US fighter it has flown since the 1970s.

That edge is now under discussion. In September 2026 the US State Department approved a possible sale of 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia, the first to an Arab state. Israel raised concerns, and US officials indicated that Saudi aircraft would not necessarily have every capability available to Israel. The list of operators is in which countries have the F-35, and the aircraft itself is introduced in what the F-35 is.

Frequently asked questions

What does Adir mean?

It is Hebrew for mighty or awesome. It is the Israeli Air Force name for the F-35I.

How many F-35s does Israel have?

Israel has ordered 100. About 48 of the first 50 were in service in May 2026, with the rest to follow.

How is the F-35I different from the F-35A?

The airframe is the same. Israel adds its own command and control software, electronic warfare systems and weapons, and programmes and maintains the jets itself.

Has the F-35I been used in combat?

Yes, since 2018, including strikes on Iran in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Has an F-35I shot down an aircraft?

Yes. An F-35I shot down an Iranian Yak-130 on 4 March 2026, after earlier kills of drones and a cruise missile.

Where are Israel’s F-35s based?

At Nevatim Air Base in the Negev desert.