US Air Force orders 22 more F-15EX fighters from Boeing in $2.38bn deal
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.38 billion contract for 22 additional F-15EX fighters under Lot 7, taking the number of jets under contract to 120. The service now plans a fleet of 267 of the type, up from an earlier target of 129.
The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing Defense a contract for 22 more F-15EX fighters on Sept. 29, 2026, as part of Lot 7. The award is valued at $2.38 billion and lifts the number of aircraft under contract to 120.
The planned fleet size has grown over the course of the programme. The Air Force initially intended to buy 129 jets, then raised that figure to 267 in April 2026. The larger buy is intended to replace the aging F-15C/D Eagle and to begin recapitalising the F-15E Strike Eagle fleet.
Calculations based on the contract value put the average cost per airframe at about $108 million, according to an estimate attributed to Air and Space Forces Magazine. That figure does not include the GE Aerospace F110-GE-129 engines, which the Air Force is buying separately.
Boeing said it is currently delivering Lot 3 aircraft, a batch that began earlier in September with the handover of the EX-22. The company said it is working with the Department of War and the Air Force to raise F-15EX output to two aircraft per month.
The F-15EX award came on the same day Boeing was selected by the Navy for its F/A-XX next-generation fighter. Boeing was also chosen for the Air Force's F-47 NGAD programme last year. A separate F-15EX-related contract was awarded the same day to Wisconsin-based Astronautics Corp. of America.
Sources
- theaviationist.comU.S. Air Force Contracts Boeing for 22 More F-15EX Fighters