US taps Boeing to build F-15s for Israel under $8.6 billion contract

JERUSALEM — The U.S. government is slated to allocate $8.6 billion to Boeing for the sale of 25 F-15 fighter jets to Israel, the Pentagon announced on Monday.

According to the statement, the deal covers the production of the F-15IA version of the fighter jet, with an option for an additional 25 such aircraft.

Boeing will make the warplanes at its St. Louis, Missouri, plant, with a completion date pegged at the end of 2035.

The Pentagon announcement came at the end of U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and is considered Israel’s largest known defense procurement deal.

The F-15 deal was originally agreed between the two countries in November 2024, when it stood at $5.2 billion. The funds are part of a multiyear defense assistance agreement between Israel and the United States.

The higher dollar amount associated with this week’s announcement is likely due to the option for an additional batch of aircraft.

The F-15IA will be based on the F-15 models currently in Israel’s use, which were developed specifically for the Israeli Air Force in the 1990s and first entered service in 1998. The new aircraft version will include long-range attack capabilities, increased armament carrying capacity of up to 14 tons, and fly-by-wire guidance systems that allow for high maneuverability. The new jets also will include various Israeli defense systems.

Israel sees the procurement as key to ensuring its air superiority and maintaining strategic strike capabilities. The first new fighter jets are expected to be delivered to Israel as early as 2031 at a rate of 4-6 aircraft a year.

Israel has previously revealed that F-15 and F-15I aircraft were among the 140 fighter jets that participated in the 12-Day War against Iran last June with striking ground targets.

Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.

耶路撒冷——美国五角大楼周一宣布，美国政府计划拨款 86 亿美元给波音公司，用于向以色列出售 25 架 F-15 战斗机。

声明称，该协议涵盖F-15IA型战斗机的生产，并可选择额外生产25架该型飞机。

波音公司将在其位于密苏里州圣路易斯的工厂生产这些战机，预计完成日期为 2035 年底。

五角大楼的这项声明是在美国总统唐纳德·特朗普与以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡在佛罗里达州海湖庄园会晤结束后发布的，这笔交易被认为是以色列迄今为止最大的国防采购协议。

F-15战斗机的交易最初于2024年11月由两国达成，当时的交易金额为52亿美元。这笔资金是以色列和美国之间多年防务援助协议的一部分。

本周公布的金额较高，可能是因为可以选择增购一批飞机。

F-15IA战机将以以色列目前使用的F-15战机为基础，后者是上世纪90年代专为以色列空军研发，并于1998年首次服役。新型号将具备远程攻击能力，最大载弹量可达14吨，并采用电传操纵系统，从而实现高机动性。此外，新战机还将配备多种以色列国防系统。

以色列认为此次采购对于确保其空中优势和维持战略打击能力至关重要。首批新型战斗机预计最早将于2031年交付以色列，交付速度为每年4至6架。

以色列此前透露，F-15 和 F-15I 战机是去年 6 月参与对伊朗发动 12 天战争并打击地面目标的 140 架战斗机之一。

扎利·格林伯格是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。他拥有丰富的经济事务以及国防和网络安全公司报道经验。