Israel will buy four Boeing Co KC-46A refuelers for its air force, the Israeli government and a U.S. defense contractor said Thursday. The deal is worth $927 million and the first planes are expected to be delivered in 2025, Reuters reported.

The tankers will replace decades-old converted Boeing 707s, which Israel currently uses for air refueling, and could help it demonstrate seriousness about its ability to strike Iran's long-threatened nuclear facilities.

Thanking the Pentagon for expedited approval of the KC-46A purchase, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the tankers will allow the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to confront security challenges near and far.

In 2020, the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of up to eight Boeing refueling planes and related equipment to Israel for a total of $2.4 billion. Israel has called for an acceleration of the delivery schedule if possible.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) describes its Boeing 707 tankers as more than 45 years old, with a shortage of spare parts.

The KC-46A will be able to carry 30 percent more fuel while consuming 30 percent less, according to a March 2021 IAF magazine article. This will allow us to significantly increase range, the magazine quoted an Air Force major as saying. - In addition, this aircraft can refuel other aircraft while fueling from another KC-46, something the refueling aircraft (Boeing 707) does not have. This theoretically increases its range to infinity.