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US Air Force awards Boeing $2.38 bln contract for 22 F-15EX fighters
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The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $2.38 billion contract on September 29 for 22 F-15EX Eagle II fighters, part of Lot 7 of the program. The deal narrowly met a deadline to use funds from last summer's reconciliation bill, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' or face an 8.3 percent reduction. This brings the total number of F-15EXs under contract to 120, though the Air Force increased its total program goal to 269 aircraft in April. The average cost per jet is approximately $108 million, excluding engines purchased separately from GE Aerospace. Boeing is currently delivering Lot 3 aircraft and working to increase production to two jets per month. On the same day, the Navy also selected Boeing to build its next-generation F/A-XX fighter, marking Boeing's win in both the Air Force and Navy sixth-generation fighter competitions. The F-15EX is a heavily upgraded fourth-generation fighter featuring digital fly-by-wire controls, an all-glass cockpit, an APG-82 AESA radar, and the EPAWSS electronic warfare suite.
Source report
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
The Air Force awarded Boeing a $2.38 billion contract for 22 F-15EX Eagle II fighters on Sept. 29, narrowly meeting a deadline to use funds from last summer's reconciliation bill or face cuts.
Contract Details
The deal, Lot 7 of the program, brings to 120 the total number of F-15EXs under contract. The Air Force had planned to end production at 129 jets but increased the total program in April to 269 aircraft.
At $2.38 billion for 22 jets, the average cost works out to $108 million per aircraft. This figure does not include engines from GE Aerospace, which the Air Force purchases separately.
Funding Sources
Funding for Lot 7 came from:
- $115 million in the 2026 budget
- $2.8 billion from last year's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" reconciliation package
The reconciliation bill included a caveat: any funds not spent by Oct. 1, 2026, would be reduced by 8.3 percent. The threatened reduction provided the pressure to close the deal before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
Air Force Statement
In a release, the Air Force trumpeted its success in meeting that deadline.
"This award followed extensive collaboration among program management, contracting, pricing, engineering, financial management, logistics and other acquisition professionals. The team assessed the impacts of changing production conditions and inflation, aligned the aircraft procurement with available funding, and completed the action before the fiscal-year deadline."
Aircraft Capabilities
The F-15EX is a heavily upgraded version of the fourth-generation F-15, leading some to dub it a "4.5 generation" fighter. Its features include:
- Digital fly-by-wire flight controls
- All-glass touch-screen cockpit
- New APG-82 active electronically scanned array radar
- Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), an advanced electronic warfare suite
Production Status
Boeing said in a release that it is currently delivering Lot 3 aircraft and will continue to do so for the rest of the year. Boeing is working with the Pentagon to increase its production to two F-15EXs per month.
Additional Boeing Win
The F-15EX contract was not Boeing's only win on Sept. 29. The Navy also announced it had selected Boeing to build its next-generation air dominance fighter, F/A-XX. The win means Boeing has secured both the Air Force's and Navy's sixth-generation fighter competitions.
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
Source
Air & Space Forces MagazineWestern