The US Department of Defense has awarded Boeing an $8.5 billion contract to supply F-15IA fighter aircraft to the Israeli Air Force (IAF) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) framework. The agreement covers the assembly, systems integration, instrumentation, and testing of 25 F-15IA airframes, with an option to produce 25 additional jets.
Manufacturing and related work will be conducted at Boeing’s St. Louis, Missouri facility, with program completion scheduled for December 2035. Boeing will work closely with the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to support program execution and oversight throughout the contract period.
The F-15IA is Israel’s customized version of the F-15EX Eagle II, designed to replace aging F-15C/D aircraft operated by the US Air Force and Air National Guard. Based on the F-15 Advanced Eagle configuration, the aircraft is intended to enhance interoperability with fifth-generation platforms such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, strengthening joint and coalition air operations.
Israel first signaled its intent to procure the F-15IA in 2023 amid rising regional security challenges. A follow-on contract was signed in 2024 for an initial batch, with deliveries expected to begin in 2031 at a rate of four to six aircraft per year. The fighter is equipped with advanced sensors, including an AN/APG-82(V)1 AESA radar, IRST21 infrared search-and-track system, and modern electronic warfare suites, and is powered by twin GE F110-GE-129 engines, enabling speeds of Mach 2.5 and operations up to 60,000 feet.
