In 2020, the Israeli Air Force [IAF] had said it wanted to procure 25 additional F-35I “Adir” fighter-bombers from Lockheed-Martin as well as the latest version of the F-15 air superiority aircraft [alors désignée F-15EX] then under development at Boeing. However, due to political instability [avec trois élections législatives anticipées en trois ans]this file had not progressed as quickly as hoped.
Ultimately, the IDF had to wait until last June to see one of its wishes come true, while, in the United States, the administration of President Biden was torn between a fringe of the Democratic Party hostile to Israeli operations carried out in the Gaza Strip after the attacks launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and another for which Israel's right to defend itself should in no case be called into question.
Thus, on June 4, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that it had reached an agreement with Washington to procure 25 F-35I “Adir”, for approximately $3 billion, partly covered by the American foreign military financing program. [FMF]. Normally, the IAF should receive this new batch of fighter-bombers from 2028, at a rate of 3 to 5 units per year.
As for the purchase of the F-15EX [ou Eagle II]it will have taken a little more time to come to fruition.
In August, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency [DSCA]responsible for American military exports, gave the green light to the potential sale to Israel of 50 F-15 Eagle IIs [désignés F-15IA Ra’am II] and 25 kits to modernize as many F-15s already in service with the IAF. The amount of the estimate then amounted to 18.82 billion dollars.
However, the IAF will have to scale back its initial ambitions. Indeed, on November 7, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that it had just notified Boeing of an order for the delivery of 25 F-15IAs for $5.2 billion. The deal also includes an option for 25 more devices. As for the modernization of existing F-15Is, there is no longer any question of it at the moment.
“The new F15IA aircraft will be equipped with the most advanced weapons systems” and will integrate “revolutionary Israeli technologies,” said the Israeli Defense Ministry. This device will have “a greater range of action, a greater capacity to carry payloads and better performance in various operational scenarios,” he stressed.
As a reminder, powered by two new F110-GE-129 engines, the F-15 Eagle II is equipped with a digital cockpit, an active antenna radar [AESA] APG-82(V)1, with an ADCP-II mission computer [Advanced Display Core Processor-II]an IRST sensor, an EPAWSS electronic warfare suite [Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability] and a data link allowing it to communicate with the F-35. It would be able to carry between 22 and 24 air-to-air missiles.
“While focusing on the immediate needs for advanced weapons and munitions at unprecedented levels, we are simultaneously investing in long-term strategic capabilities,” argued Eyal Zamir, Director General of the Ministry of Defense. He added: “This F-15 squadron, along with the third F-35 squadron acquired earlier this year, represents a historic reinforcement of our air power and strategic reach, capabilities that have proven crucial to the course of the current war.
The purchase of these 25 F-15IAs will be financed thanks to military aid granted by Washington to the Jewish state. “This agreement constitutes a major step in deepening security cooperation between Israel and the United States and demonstrates their mutual commitment to preserving regional security,” explained the Israeli Defense Ministry.
Delivery of the first F-15IAs will begin in 2031 and will continue at a rate of 4 to 6 units per year.
