According to a Modernized Selected Acquisition Report (MSAR) recently released by the Pentagon, the F-15EX program is expanding from 98 to 268 aircraft. Of the increase, 21 jets were funded through the FY2024 National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, while 148 were added under the FY2027 President’s Budget Request.
One additional aircraft was added in the FY2026 Congressional Budget. In the same period, a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement for 50 F-15 Israel aircraft was signed on December 29, 2025. The deal is expected to boost overall production volume for the F-15EX program, stabilizing the lower-tier supply chain and extending the production line’s operational life.
Boeing Strike Delayed Deliveries
The F-15EX program’s first production lot, consisting of eight aircraft, was delivered in January 2025. Production was then disrupted by a 15-week strike by the International Association of Machinists at Boeing’s St. Louis facility, running from August 4 to November 17, 2025, which halted the assembly line and pushed back the delivery schedule.
As a result, the F-15EX program will miss its July 2027 threshold for Full Operational Capability (FOC); the defining aircraft is now expected to arrive in February 2028. The program office submitted a Program Deviation Report on January 13, 2026, and is working on a formal schedule rebaseline.
To recover lost ground, the Air Force is expanding digitization of complex sub-assemblies, adding manpower to the assembly line, and leaning on multi-year procurement arrangements to keep the F-15EX program on track..
Technical Refresh Looms for F-15EX Program
Extending the F-15EX program into Lots 9 through 12 will require a substantial technical refresh. As parts and materials become harder to source over the longer timeline, several core systems will need to be replaced — including the radar, mission computer, the EPAWSSv2 electronic warfare suite, and the engines. The program office describes this as a significant redesign effort. No approved Program Office Estimate or Non-Advocate Cost Assessment exists yet for the expanded buy, with cost work underway ahead of the FY2028 budget request.
Supply risks for future lots of the F-15EX program also persist. Elbit’s large-area displays and low-profile heads-up displays, GE’s F110-229 engines, and Collins’ cartridge- and propellant-actuated devices are all flagged as risk areas.
The F-15EX program’s total acquisition cost stands at $36,929.3 million in then-year dollars, or $27,967.8 million in constant 2020 dollars. Of that, $34,996.8 million covers procurement and $1,932.5 million covers research, development, test and evaluation.
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Source: C4Defence– Pentagon’s MSAR report
