On Thursday, November 7, 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that it had signed a government-to-government LOA (Letter of Offer and Acceptance) agreement with the United States the previous day for the purchase of 25 Boeing F-15IA Eagle (Israel Advanced) multirole aircraft, with an option for an additional 25, for 5.2 billion USD.
Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, retired Gen. Eyal Zamir; Head of the Israeli Ministry of Defense Mission in the USA, Aviram Hasson; and Senior Deputy Head of the Mission, Offer Zavatzky / Photo: Israeli Ministry of Defense
The agreement was signed by the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, retired Gen. Eyal Zamir. It was finalized yesterday following negotiations between the ministry’s defense mission in the USA and Boeing, in cooperation with the Israeli Air Corps. The negotiations were concluded last month.
Director General of the IMOD, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir: “The Ministry is executing a comprehensive strategy to enhance the IDF’s operational capabilities. We have secured procurement agreements worth nearly $40 billion (approximately NIS 150 billion) since the onset of the war. While focusing on immediate needs for advanced weaponry and ammunition at unprecedented levels, we’re simultaneously investing in long-term strategic capabilities. This F-15 squadron, alongside the third F-35 squadron procured earlier this year, represents a historic enhancement of our air power and strategic reach – capabilities that proved crucial during the current war. We continue to advance similar transformative agreements across all IDF domains – from air and naval forces to ground operations, intelligence, and beyond.”
President of Boeing Israel, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Ido Nehushtan:
“Boeing takes pride in its longstanding partnership with Israel, a relationship that dates back to our nation’s establishment. The company will continue working with the U.S. and Israeli governments to deliver the advanced F-15IA aircraft through standard military procurement channels.”
The agreement is part of a broader U.S. military assistance package for Israel, approved by Congress earlier this year. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2031 at a rate of 4-6 aircraft per year, replacing the oldest F-15A/C Eagles (previously expected in 2029).
On August 13 of this year, the government in Tel Aviv received approval to purchase up to 50 new F-15IA Eagle multirole aircraft and to upgrade its 25 F-15I Ra’am aircraft to the F-15I+ standard, for a maximum of 18.82 billion USD. The aircraft will be integrated with Israeli weaponry.
Image: Boeing
On April 1 of this year, the American magazine Politico reported, citing Congressional sources, that President Joe Biden’s administration is considering the sale of up to 50 F-15EX Eagle II aircraft to Israel. A request to the relevant Congressional committees was reportedly submitted in February of this year.
As reported by the industry portal Breaking Defense on January 19, 2023, and later by The Jerusalem Post on January 21, 2023, the Israeli government had requested the option to purchase 25 F-15EX Eagle II aircraft, with the possibility of increasing the order to 50 (a request was also made for the upgrade of 25 F-15I Ra’am aircraft). Interest in the latest variant of the F-15 in Israel dates back to November 2018.
Meanwhile, on May 28 of this year, Israel ordered an additional 25 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II multirole aircraft in the Israeli F-35I Adir version, which will join the 50 previously contracted.
The F-15EX Eagle II has a payload capacity of 13,381 kg (up to 12 missiles of various types), is powered by two F110-GE-129 engines (previously, American F-15s were powered by Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 engines), and features an ADCPII mission computer in the cockpit, which has been tested since 2016. The computer performs 87 billion operations per second. The aircraft is also equipped with the new EPAWSS (Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System) digital electronic warfare system.
To date, the only user of the F-15EX Eagle II is the U.S. Air Force (USAF), which announced Initial Operational Capability (IOC) status on July 10 of this year. So far, 8 out of 12 units from the trial batch have been delivered. The USAF currently plans to purchase a total of 98 units (down from the originally declared 144), with 48 already ordered.
The next export user will be Indonesia, which is interested in acquiring 24 F-15IDN units.
The F-15EX Eagle aircraft are also being offered to Poland, India, and Saudi Arabia. On September 24 of this year, Boeing signed agreements with the Polish Military University of Technology and the Polish Air Force University regarding potential in-country training for ground personnel and pilots. Earlier, during the 32nd MSPO in Kielce, agreements were signed with members of the Polish Armaments Group, including Military Aviation Works No. 2 and the Central Military Bureau Of Design and Technology.
Israel MOD Acquires 25 Advanced F-15 Aircraft for $5.2 Billion
The Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) signed yesterday (Wednesday) a landmark transaction to acquire the next generation of F-15 fighter jets, purchasing 25 advanced aircraft from Boeing. pic.twitter.com/sq6lskDfV8
— Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) November 7, 2024