Boeing wins $2.38bn order for 22 more F-15EX fighters

Boeing has won a $2.38 billion production award for 22 more F-15EX Eagle II fighters, the manufacturer said. The deal, called Lot 7, means Boeing now holds contracts covering full production across Lots 1 through 7, with 120 of the type on order.

Deliveries are running against a Lot 3 award. Boeing said it will work through that contract for the rest of the year and aims to raise output to two aircraft a month.

The award came the same day the US Air Force and US Navy moved on separate combat aircraft purchases. The Navy signed a $20 billion contract for its sixth-generation F/A-XX fighter, while the Air Force added the 22 Eagle IIs.

Christina Upah, Boeing's F-15 programme vice-president, said the company is committed to handing over an aircraft the service considers important for projecting power and keeping pace with emerging threats.

The Air Force called the negotiations complex, citing operational difficulties including a manufacturing slowdown at Boeing during 2025 and broad inflation across the defence sector. Brigadier General Timothy Helfrich, portfolio acquisition executive for the service's Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate, said the Lot 7 arrangement reflected a disciplined use of available resources against the realities now affecting defence production. The team kept its attention on affordability, continuity of production and supplying aircraft needed to modernise the fighter fleet, he said.

Boeing is also progressing with the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer, developed with Saab. The type has been used in next-generation pilot training involving live, virtual and constructive integration, and seven instructor pilots are cited in the programme's work.