The Government of Israel has officially asked the United States Government to purchase 25 Boeing F-15EX Eagle II fighters, say industry sources to the portal Breaking Defense. The country would also be considering doubling the order.
The sending of the Letter of Requisition (LOR) marks the beginning of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, a form of business that facilitates the negotiation of war products of the most varied types, where the US government acts as a mediator. In this way, the two parties can already negotiate the details of the order, including the number of aircraft, spare parts, weapons and other details.
Also according to the portal, Tel Aviv had already decided to buy the jet in 2020, but the country's political instability postponed the acquisition. With the most recent election, the green light for the business was given.
The F-15 is a historic aircraft for the Israel Air Force (IAF). Two 104 kills were recorded with the fighter, 61 were at the hands of Jewish pilots, who were even the first to kills with the fighter, in 1982. Today the IAF operates 50 F-15A/B/C/D Baz and 25 F -15I Ra'am, the latter based on the F-15E Strike Eagle.
The IAF already felt a need for a multi-mission fighter capable of carrying weapons against reinforced structures such as Iranian nuclear facilities. The portal also states that Israel wants to upgrade its F-15I to the same configuration as the F-15EX, with the exception of the fly-by-wire system. However, an Israeli defense source said budget constraints could affect the "scope" of the planned F-15 upgrade.
The urgency for aircraft comes from the recent rapprochement between Russia and Iran, catalyzed by the War in Ukraine. Iran, the biggest threat to Israel at the moment, is due to receive in March the first Sukhoi Su-35 fighters. Although an inferior generation to Israel's F-35, the Su-35 is a far greater threat than any other aircraft in the Iranian fleet.
Another source claimed that now that the LOR has been issued, the first deliveries of the F-15 EX are expected in 2028, but the Israeli government may ask the US to condense that schedule. Both the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the US Embassy in Jerusalem declined to comment.
The F-15EX is the most advanced version of the legendary F-15 Eagle, whose first flight completed 50 years in July 2022. It is also the newest fighter aircraft in the USAF, which has 80 units on order.
The aircraft incorporates an AESA radar, panoramic touchscreen display, advanced electronic warfare suite and a mission computer that, according to Boeing, is the fastest in the world. The F-15EX will replace the older F-15C/D Eagle, while complementing the capabilities of the 22th generation F-35 and F-5 fighters.
