Boeing has begun deliveries on Lot 2 of the company’s F-15EX Eagle II fighter, a modernised derivative of the venerable Cold War dogfighter.
The company recently turned over its ninth F-15EX to the US Air Force (USAF), which is initially fielding the so-called 4.5-generation jet to a fighter squadron of the Oregon Air National Guard.
Six of those Eagle IIs were test aircraft, with the first operationally configured F-15EX delivered to Portland in June 2024. A second aircraft followed shortly after, completing Lot 1 orders.
F-15EX with tail number 009, which was flown to Oregon during the first week of May, marks the third jet intended for combat service and the first covered under Lot 2. Boeing says it will deliver 12 jets under that contract, which is set for completion before the end of this year.
Steve Parker, chief executive of Boeing’s defence unit, described the Eagle II as the “the most advanced, lethal and survivable F-15 ever”, in a LinkedIn post marking the start of Lot 2 deliveries.
“We integrated fifth-generation sensors, avionics and advanced weapons into this proven platform that has always owned speed, range and payload,” Parker says.
“Our factory is now solely building and delivering operational ready F-15EXs to the USAF, while steadily increasing production the right way to meet the demand for this icon of aviation,” he adds.
Boeing is ramping up F-15EX production with a goal of reaching an assembly rate of two aircraft monthly by 2026. The company completes final assembly of the multi-role fighter in St. Louis, Missouri.
The jet includes a number of significant upgrades compared to older F-15s, including a digital fly-by-wire system that improves handling at slow air speed and allows the F-15EX to have two additional outboard weapons stations.
Those underwing hardpoints created aerodynamic issues for which the mechanical flight controls of older generation F-15s were previously unable to adequately compensate.
The F-15EX boasts a massive 13,300kg (29,500lb) payload that covers up to 12 air-to-air missiles or three Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles.
Although it does not include the low-observable features of the Lockheed F-35 or F-22, Boeing and BAE Systems developed a new electronic warfare countermeasures system they say will help the F-15EX survive modern contested airspace and back up stealth fighters with its larger weapons load.
The USAF plans to purchase 98 Eagle II fighters spread over six production lots to replace its older F-15Cs. Those ageing jets are already being retired and rotated away from frontline hotspots like Japan’s Kadena air base.
However, a proposed spending plan outlining the much-delayed 2025 Pentagon budget indicates congressional lawmakers may be seeking to boost F-15EX acquisitions.
The air force had at one point set its fleet target for the Eagle II as high as 144 aircraft, although the number has fluctuated significantly in recent years.
The Pentagon plans to eventually send 36 new-build F-15EXs to strategically important Kadena on the Japanese island of Okinawa, with the remainder of the planned 98-aircraft fleet to be distributed across several reserve bases throughout the continental USA.
Boeing is still hunting for its first overseas buyer of the Eagle II, with promising leads in Indonesia, Israel, Poland and Singapore.
