Rafael, Lockheed Martin Accelerate SPICE 1000 Integration on Israeli F-35s

Both SPICE 1000 and the smaller SPICE 250 were used in missions against Iran during Operation Rising Lion in 2025 and Operation Roaring Lion in 2026.

By Shula Rosen

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Lockheed Martin are accelerating work to integrate the Israeli-made SPICE 1000 precision weapon onto Israel’s F-35 Adir fighter jets, expanding the stealth aircraft’s long-range strike capabilities with a munition already used in operations against Iran.

The project is underway at Lockheed Martin facilities in the United States and is expected to be completed within months. Rafael announced the effort during AFA’s Air Space & Cyber conference in Washington.

SPICE 1000 has a range of about 125 kilometers (78 miles) using deployable wings and can strike with a reported accuracy of within 3 meters. Its electro-optical seeker and image-matching technology allow it to operate in environments where GPS is unavailable.

“SPICE 1000 has been sold to several countries and is in operational service with a number of air forces worldwide. 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,” Rafael said.

Both SPICE 1000 and the smaller SPICE 250 were used in missions against Iran during Operation Rising Lion in 2025 and Operation Roaring Lion in 2026.

The SPICE family has also been used extensively in Yemen, including against explosive-laden tow boats in coastal harbors.

Plans to speed up the F-35 integration were detailed in the Pentagon’s F-35 Modernized Selected Acquisition Report published in early August. The report said integration was progressing through a “SPICE Lite process.”

The weapon is expected to be carried inside the weapons bays of F-35s equipped with Technology Refresh 3 hardware, three of which arrived in Israel in January 2026. Internal carriage allows the aircraft to preserve its low radar signature.

Rafael said other countries operating F-35s could eventually gain access to the weapon.

The project is part of a wider expansion of Israel’s F-35 capabilities. In May, the Defense Ministry signed a contract with Elbit Systems subsidiary Cyclone to develop extended-range capability for the Adir. Israel also announced that month that it would double its F-35 fleet from 50 to 100 aircraft and its planned F-15IA fleet from 25 to 50.