Rafael and Lockheed Martin bring 120-km range SPICE 1000 strike weapon to Israel’s F-35I Adir

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is integrating its SPICE 1000 precision-guided air-to-surface weapon on Israel’s F-35 Lightning II, giving the stealth fighter access to a stand-off munition with a range of more than 120km.

The work is being carried out jointly with F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin at the US company’s facilities in the United States. Rafael announced the programme at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in Washington on September 15.

The integration will initially be for the Israeli Air Force’s F-35I fleet, but Rafael has made clear that it sees a wider market among F-35 users once the work is completed.

“At a later stage, F-35 operators worldwide will be able to field SPICE 1000,” Rafael said.

The programme also brings together two important elements of Israel’s strike capability. The F-35I gives the Israeli Air Force a low-observable platform able to operate in heavily defended airspace, while SPICE 1000 allows targets to be attacked from well outside the immediate target area.

Pentagon had already disclosed an effort to accelerate SPICE integration

The integration was underway before Rafael’s latest announcement.

The Pentagon’s FY2027 F-35 Modernized Selected Acquisition Report, effective in April and cleared for public release in August, said work on the Israel-specific weapon was progressing.

“Integration of Israel-unique Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective 1000B (SPICE 1000B) continues to progress with a strategy to accelerate the implementation via a SPICE Lite process,” the report said.

The document does not explain what the “SPICE Lite” process involves or give a date for completion.

It does, however, place the weapon work alongside other Israel-specific changes being pursued for the Adir. Studies and integration coordination for extended-range fuel tanks and an electronic warfare pod are also continuing.

Israel has been given considerable latitude to introduce nationally developed capabilities onto its F-35s. The F-35I designation reflects those modifications, which distinguish the aircraft from standard F-35As operated by other air forces.

Three Israeli aircraft equipped with Technology Refresh 3 hardware arrived in January, according to the Pentagon report. Two more are scheduled to follow in December, completing the 50-aircraft acquisition covered by Israel’s earlier agreement. Preparations are also underway for the first aircraft for a third squadron in 2028.

TR-3 provides the computing hardware required to support many of the capabilities planned under the wider Block 4 modernisation programme. The Pentagon says Block 4 is intended to add new weapons and other capabilities, with TR-3 providing the computing power and memory needed to support them.

SPICE uses image matching rather than relying solely on satellite navigation

SPICE 1000 is designed to strike fixed and high-value targets from stand-off distances.

Unlike weapons dependent primarily on satellite navigation for terminal accuracy, SPICE employs an electro-optical seeker and image-based scene matching. The weapon compares imagery of the target area with stored reference data as it approaches, allowing it to identify and home on the intended target.

Rafael says the munition uses “advanced scene-matching algorithms” and is designed for operations in challenging battlefield conditions.

The SPICE 1000 has deployable wings that extend its stand-off range to around 120-125km. It forms the middle member of a family that also includes the heavier SPICE 2000 and the smaller SPICE 250.

The numbers broadly correspond to the weapons’ weight classes rather than their ranges.

SPICE 1000 has been operational with the Israeli Air Force since 2017 and until now has primarily been associated with the service’s F-15 and F-16 fleets.

“SPICE 1000 has been sold to several countries and is in operational service with a number of air forces worldwide,” Rafael said. “It has served as a primary munition of the Israeli Air Force for several years, including extensive use in recent long-range operations flown from F-15 and F-16 aircraft.”

Israeli media have reported that SPICE 1000 and the smaller SPICE 250 were employed during long-range missions against Iran in 2025 and 2026.

Integration adds another stand-off weapon to an expanding F-35 arsenal

Bringing SPICE 1000 onto the Adir is more complicated than simply clearing another weapon for an older fighter.

The F-35 normally carries weapons internally when operating in its lowest-observable configuration. External carriage increases the number and variety of weapons available but comes at the expense of the aircraft’s radar signature.

The precise carriage configuration for SPICE 1000 has not been detailed by Rafael in its announcement. Israeli media have reported that the weapon is expected to be carried internally on TR-3-equipped aircraft, although neither Rafael nor the Pentagon material supplied for this report confirms that configuration.

The Pentagon is meanwhile expanding the F-35 programme’s flight-test infrastructure specifically to speed the introduction of Block 4 capabilities and new weapons. Nine new instrumented Flight Science Aircraft are planned to replace the ageing test fleet, with the programme saying the additional aircraft and upgraded data networks should reduce capability certification timelines.

Rafael and Lockheed Martin also have an established relationship around SPICE. The companies signed an agreement in 2019 covering the development, marketing and manufacture of SPICE guidance kits for potential US sales. That cooperation was expanded in 2021 to include SPICE 250 for the US and Polish markets.

The latest work takes that partnership onto the F-35 for the first time, initially giving Israel another locally developed weapon for the Adir while opening the possibility of SPICE 1000 joining the inventories of other F-35 operators.