U.S. Orders 22 Additional F-15EX Eagle II Fighter Jets

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.3 billion contract to procure 22 additional F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets.

This was reported by the Air & Space Forces Magazine of the Air & Space Forces Association.

The order, which is part of the seventh production lot, brings the total number of F-15EX aircraft ordered to 120.

The agreement was signed ahead of the end of the fiscal year to ensure the allocated funds could be used in time.

The average cost per fighter under the new contract is approximately $108 million, excluding the engines, which are purchased separately from GE Aerospace.

F-15EX Eagle II Fighter Jet

The F-15EX Eagle II is a heavily upgraded version of the Gen 4 F-15 base fighter, often classified as a Gen 4.5 aircraft.

The aircraft features a digital fly-by-wire flight control system and a fully ‘glass’ cockpit with touchscreen displays.

The fighter is equipped with a new APG-82 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

The aircraft’s protection is provided by the advanced EPAWSS (Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System) electronic warfare suite.

Boeing is currently delivering aircraft from the third production lot and plans to increase production to two F-15EX fighter jets per month.

In April, the U.S. Air Force approved increasing the total planned F-15EX procurement from 129 to 269 aircraft.

Earlier, an Iranian missile strike on a U.S. base in Jordan damaged eight U.S. F-15 fighter jets.