Israeli F-35s First To Use ‘Beast Mode' In Combat
Israel has confirmed that its F-35 stealth fighters have flown airstrikes using external ordnance. The F-35's so-called 'beast mode,' featuring heavier loads on underwing pylons, is familiar by now, but as far as is known, it has not been called upon operationally by any other countries. Meanwhile, Israel's unique F-35I fleet — locally known as the 'Adir' (Hebrew for mighty) — which features various local modifications, has frequently been at the forefront of demonstrating new capabilities.
The Israeli Air Force announced the development in a post on the social media site X:
'The Israeli 'Adir' aircraft is the only aircraft in the world that has carried out operational strikes with an external armament configuration, which increased the attack capabilities.'
This was a follow-up to a post that had announced the arrival of the next three F-35Is for the Israeli Air Force at Nevatim Air Base, last Thursday, where they will join 116 Squadron, the 'Lions of the South.'
Three 'Adir' (F-35I) fighter jets, manufactured by @LockheedMartin, landed last week at Nevatim Airbase.The three jets will join the IAF and the 116th Squadron, bearing the IAF insignia.The expansion of the 'Adir' fleet significantly enhances the lethal capabilities of the IAF. pic.twitter.com/6H01XnEKy6
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 16, 2025
In another post, the Israeli Air Force said that, since the outbreak of the latest war in the Middle East, in October 2023, the service's F-35Is have flown more than 15,000 operational flight hours, taking part in 'thousands of sorties in all theaters.'
Most intriguing is the statement that, during the conflict, Israel was actively working on a new external Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) capability for the F-35I.
'During the war, the Flight Test Center (FTC), in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and the F-35 program at the Pentagon, developed a new capability to carry external JDAM weapons on the aircraft's wings,' the Israeli Air Force says.
While the F-35's ability to carry offensive weapons — including JDAMs — on four underwing pylons is far from new, it may be the case that the operational clearances for this in Israeli service were accelerated to meet an urgent requirement. It could also be the case that the Israeli 'beast mode' differs in certain respects from the baseline standard that has been demonstrated in tests elsewhere.
Regardless, the Israeli Air Force has confirmed that it's the first F-35 operator to use the 'beast mode' in combat.
The exact configuration used is unclear, although a photo published by the Israeli Air Force on X shows the unique instrumented F-35I assigned to the Flight Test Center carrying four external 2,000-pound class GBU-31 JDAMs. A single AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile can be seen in one of the internal weapons bays, which may also house another internal JDAM. The nature of the store just visible in the left weapons bay is unclear, but some kind of telemetry pod would make a lot of sense for an ordnance test mission like this one. Also noteworthy is the blanked-off Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) fairing under the nose, which is transparent on operational jets.
When it comes to adding new capabilities to the F-35I, this has been aided by the provision of a uniquely outfitted test variant of the stealth fighter, which arrived in the country in 2020. The one-off version of the jet is charged with putting Israel-specific equipment through its paces, including weapons trials, avionics integration, and airframe modification and testing.
It's also not clear in which particular strike missions the F-35I utilized external offensive stores, although the aircraft has seen extensive combat action since October 2023. It has been involved in raids on targets in Gaza and Lebanon and has also taken part in long-range strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen and against Iran. It should be noted, however, that the exact role of the Adir in the strikes on Iran is somewhat unclear, with some claims that the stealth fighters penetrated into Iranian airspace.
The Adir has also been used in an air defense capacity, including against Houthi cruise missiles, as you can read about here.
There had been previous indications that the F-35I was being used to carry external as well as internal ordnance in the current conflict.
Back in August last year, for example, the Israeli Ministry of Defense released a video showing an F-35I refueling from a tanker, purportedly during a mission over Lebanon. The fighter was clearly fitted with a pair of underwing pylons (on the inner hardpoints) although these were not carrying any stores, at least not in this phase of the sortie.
בהמשך לתקיפות בלבנון ביממה האחרונה, מצורף תיעוד מתדלוק מטוסי אדיר מעל שמי לבנון ותיעוד מיירוט כטב״ם על-ידי מסוק קרב: pic.twitter.com/YUul4bCMVs
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) August 25, 2024
For Israel, the F-35's 'beast mode' is especially relevant.
Carrying external stores erodes the F-35's valuable stealth characteristics in return for providing a considerably larger payload. For many of the kinds of missions that the Israeli Air Force flies, especially against opposition with little to no meaningful air defense capabilities, such a tradeoff would make complete sense.
When it comes to prosecuting targets in more contested airspace, the Israeli Air Force prefers using standoff weapons, keeping its crewed aircraft out of the range of most air defense systems. In this kind of scenario, the low-observable capabilities of the F-35 are again less important, and there would be an argument to sacrifice them in favor of increased weapon carriage.
At this stage, however, we don't know if any standoff weapons have been integrated into the Adir. As it stands, the JDAM is unpowered but can provide a degree of standoff range, being able to hit targets at up to about 15 miles away with launch from a typical fast-jet's speed and altitude.
It's also worth noting that Israel has reportedly also developed a means of extending the range of its F-35Is, allegedly providing them with enough reach to hit targets in Iran without needing aerial refueling.
How the F-35Is have had their range increased is unclear, but the most likely option involves additional external fuel carried in drop tanks. Other options might include some kind of conformal, flush-mounted fuel tank or perhaps some kind of fuel tank within the weapons bays. Were some or all of the F-35I's internal stores capacity to be turned over to fuel, for long-endurance missions without tanker support, then carrying ordnance on external pylons would become more of a necessity.
For now, there are no more details of the F-35I's apparent range extension, although now that the jet's underwing pylons have been proven in combat, we might start to see weapons beyond the JDAM.
These could also include Israeli-made weapons, as well as laser-guided precision munitions, which would be ideal for prosecuting moving targets.
In the past, Israeli media has reported that the F-35I was modified to employ a 'one-ton bomb,' which implies a weapon weighing around 1,000 kilograms or just over 2,200 pounds. That would put it in the broadly same class as the U.S.-made GBU-24 Paveway laser-guided bomb or the GBU-31 JDAM. However, like the GBU-31, the new Israeli weapon, developed by Rafael Advanced Weapons Systems, can also be carried internally in the F-35 without impacting the aircraft's radar signature.
Another option could be Rampage missiles, an air-launched adaptation of the ground-launched Extended Range Artillery guided rocket, or EXTRA.
Rampage offers a significant standoff range, reducing risks to the launching aircraft, and is part of a growing arsenal of Israeli air-launched ballistic missiles and other similar aerial munitions, the importance of which has come into sharp focus in recent months, especially in retaliatory strikes on targets in Iran and also airstrikes in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force might also look at the option of increasing the air-to-air 'magazine depth' of the F-35, by putting AMRAAMs (or potentially other missiles) on external pylons.
In the past, we have examined the value of having a stealthy flight of F-35s call up missiles on demand from non-stealthy 'beast mode' configured F-35s operating many miles behind them. This would help overcome the F-35s wanting internal air-to-air missile carriage capability, which is limited to four missiles at this time, although a six-missile internal load-out — known as Sidekick — is in the works for the F-35A and F-35C. With Israel's F-35Is already being tasked with defeating drones and cruise missiles, the option of carrying more air-to-air missiles to tackle larger numbers of threats could be interesting.
Israel has repeatedly shown a willingness to expose its F-35 fleet to combat operations. Israel announced in May 2018 that it had become the first operator to use the jet on offensive operations and, since then, it has also recorded success in aerial combat against Iranian drones.
For now, the latest milestone in the Israel Air Force's Adir story is the first confirmed instance of airstrikes using external ordnance in the F-35's 'beast mode.'
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
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