The US Air Force has granted Boeing a comprehensive contract for the F-15 fighter jet, valued at up to $131.2 billion, as announced by the Defense Department. This agreement, known as the “F-15 Eagle Crest” contract, encompasses aircraft production, upgrades, and sustainment for the Pentagon and international partners, with work scheduled for completion by August 2037.
The contract was awarded exclusively to Boeing, which directed inquiries to the Air Force. According to an Air Force spokesperson, the Eagle Crest vehicle is designed to streamline future F-15 agreements, accelerating the delivery of capabilities to warfighters by consolidating requirements for both the US Air Force and Foreign Military Sales partners. As an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, it offers flexibility for future needs up to the ceiling, with each award subject to independent decision-making. The ceiling represents potential capacity, not a commitment to spend the full amount.
Casey Nicastro, a senior analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, described the deal as one of the most substantial recent contracts from the Defense Department. While a $151 billion IDIQ contract for the Golden Dome initiative was issued last year, Nicastro noted it included over 1,000 separate awards. A comparable F-16 contract for Lockheed Martin, worth up to $62 billion, was awarded in August 2020 for Foreign Military Sales aircraft, which is less than half the value of the F-15 Eagle Crest contract.
Nicastro emphasized that the scale of this contract suggests the Air Force anticipates the F-15EX variant continuing to play a critical role in air combat, even as the service advances toward newer systems like collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs) and the F-47. This contract follows the Air Force’s plan to increase its F-15EX procurement to 267 aircraft, and Boeing is actively pursuing international customers, with Israel recently placing orders for additional exports.
The agreement covers nearly all current F-15 operators, including the US, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Singapore. While some nations, such as Israel, are acquiring new F-15s, others like South Korea are upgrading existing fleets. The contract also includes potential Foreign Military Sales for Indonesia and Poland, though Qatar was excluded despite operating the F-15, as the F-15EX is based on Qatar’s F-15QA variant.
John Ferrari, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former Army general, highlighted that the contract spans over a decade and that foreign sales constitute a significant portion. He speculated that the Air Force aims to secure the arrangement now, as there is little risk in setting a high ceiling but substantial downside in underestimating requirements.
Boeing is working to increase F-15 production amid rising demand, but has encountered challenges, including a prolonged labor strike last year that caused cascading delays. These setbacks have postponed deliveries at key installations, such as Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. A Pentagon selected acquisition report indicates that F-15EX delays have exceeded the program’s baseline schedule, pushing full operational capability to February 2028—a seven-month delay.
The Air Force’s plan to surge F-15 purchases introduces new cost and schedule uncertainties, according to the report. A major technical refresh is required to address diminishing manufacturing sources, including replacing obsolete systems like radar, engines, and electronic warfare suites, which involves significant redesign. The Air Force has not yet provided cost estimates for the expanded buy and is re-baselining the program to account for lost time. Requests for updated projections went unanswered by press time.