<p >The U.S. Air Force has made an unprecedented mass deployment of KC-135 and KC-46 aerial tankers&nbsp;across the Atlantic&nbsp;from bases on the American mainland, fuelling considerable speculation that the aircraft may be intended to participate in the ongoing Israeli-Iranian War. The number of aircraft has continued to rise, and was reported in the late hours of June 15, West Coast time, to have exceeded 30 tankers. Tankers from multiple Western countries have been reported to be participating in supporting Israeli Air Force aerial refuelling efforts to facilitate strikes on Iran, raising the possibility that these newly deployed tankers may be intended to similarly refuel Israeli assets. Another significant possibility is that the aircraft are intended to refuel U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy fighters and bombers should the United States more actively enter the war. The U.S. is already an active participant in hostilities, and has <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/how-effective-is-thaad-in-defending-israel-against-iranian-missile-strikes" target="_blank">deployed THAAD</a> air defence systems and AEGIS destroyers to support efforts to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles being fired at Israeli targets.&nbsp;</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/16/article_684f8afdbf3a44_73634213.png" title="KC-707 Refuels Israeli F-15s"></p><p >Although Israeli Air Force F-15 fighters are capable of reaching Iranian territory without refuelling in the air, the large majority of the fleet is comprised of F-16s which lack the range needed to strike most Iranian targets even when carrying external fuel tanks and employing long range air-launched cruise or ballistic missile. Western fighters on average have far shorter ranges than their Chinese or Russian counterparts, which has resulted in a very heavy reliance on aerial refuelling for operations against state adversaries. The F-35, for example, has a combat radius of approximately 1000 kilometres, compared to approximately 2000 kilometres for the Chinese J-20 or Russian Su-34.&nbsp;The U.S. Navy’s carrier groups’ potential vulnerability to Iranian missile strikes is expected to force them to launch sorties across considerable distances, which could make aerial refuelling support highly valuable. Although the United States has committed itself to Israel’s defence for decades, the risks of more actively joining the war effort remain significant, with Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal having the potential to threaten military bases across the Middle East and much of Europe. The Iranian arsenal has demonstrated high levels of precision and the ability to penetrate even very densely defended airspace, which makes it a particularly significant deterrent to escalation.&nbsp;</p>
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