The United States has nixed a moved-up delivery date requested by Israel for at least two of the eight aerial refueling tanker aircraft, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post.
The reasons are unclear.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz informed the Biden Administration during his recent visit to Washington DC that he has set a deadline for the IDF to complete preparations for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
A senior diplomatic source said at the time there was no American veto.
The tankers would be needed for an attack on Iran.
In March 2020, the US State Department under the Trump Administration approved the “possible sale” of up to eight KC-46 tankers and related equipment which can refuel jets with 1,200 gallons of fuel per minute by its fly-by-wire 55-ft. refueling boom. The aircraft can refuel three jets simultaneously, within a three to four minute window, via wing air refueling pods.
The sale is worth some $2.4 billion.
In October 2020, Israeli military officials asked the United States to “speed up” the delivery of at least two of the refueling tankers.
Israel’s current fleet of Ram (Boeing 707) tanker aircraft that are required for long-range missions are nearing the age of 60, and have been grounded.