Pentagon Now Planning 268 F-15EX Jets As Boeing Production Surges

Red State ^ | May 02, 2026 | Ward Clark

[Red Badger]

The F-15 Eagle fighter has been, since its adoption by the United States Air Force in 1974, one of the world's premier air-superiority fighters. It's not stealthy, but it's fast, big, and carries a huge variety of weapons. It's gone through several revisions and upgrades since its Cold War birth, and the latest, the F-15EX, is in production now, making it over half a century of F-15 production. But the new F-15EX is a very different bird than the original Cold War fighter, and now, the United States Air Force is looking to ramp up the numbers of these magnificent warbirds in the inventory.

Now, the War Department and the Air Force are working with manufacturer Boeing to ramp up production of the F-15EX.

The Pentagon’s latest budget request for the air force would more than double the planned procurement of F-15EX strike fighters to 268 examples — moving Boeing to full-rate production of the revamped Cold War jet in the next year.

Boeing has a long-established goal of ramping F-15EX deliveries to two monthly, or 24 jets annually. For several years that outcome was uncertain, as the US Air Force’s acquisition plans fluctuated drastically.

The air force at one point cut its original procurement target of 144 aircraft to 80, then revised the figure up to 104.

The Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request would surge F-15EX acquisitions to as many as 268 aircraft, including Lot 1 test aircraft and 21 jets funded under the FY2025 one-time budget reconciliation package known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.

That will take Boeing's production up - maybe not to World War II levels, but maxing out their current capacity. Maybe more.

Notably, FY2027 budget projections suggest Boeing could soon expand F-15EX production beyond 24 aircraft annually. The spending request submitted by the air force calls for purchasing 28 jets in 2029 and 36 in both 2030 and 2031.

Boeing has previously said it could increase F-15EX production to 36 aircraft annually if sufficient demand materialises.

This looks a lot like the USAF is planning for the F-15EX to be the backbone of a 21st-century air superiority force. There aren't going to be any more F-22s; the F-35 is deployed, but they seem to be slow in building. The F-47 is still in the design stages. But the F-15, well, the basic airframe, Boeing has been building, as we noted, for over half a century. But the F-15EX, rolling off the lines to the tune of 36 a year, could give us a very effective air-superiority platform in good numbers relatively quickly. And look at recent conflicts the United States has been involved with, since at least 1991; we depend on first establishing air dominance.

Once that's done, we can come at the bad guys with everything in the inventory.

Boeing describes this latest Eagle variant thusly:

Delivering unmatched payload, range and speed, the F‑15EX is built to anchor tactical fighter forces today and tomorrow. Drawing on a legacy of air dominance, it features digital fly‑by‑wire controls, an all‑glass cockpit, modern mission systems and software, open mission systems architecture and the ability to carry hypersonic weapons. Advanced AESA radar and the EPAWSS electronic‑warfare suite enable confident operations in highly contested airspace and advanced networking — both line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight — enables collaborative operations with manned and unmanned systems.

Sounds like just what the doctor ordered for maintaining air dominance. And reworking and repurposing older platforms has worked well in the past for the Air Force; just ask an A-10 driver or any member of a B-52 crew. They're old, but they are still the best there is at what they do.

Here, have a look at one of these cutting-edge birds in flight:

Video at link......

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Government; War
KEYWORDS: aviation; boeing; f15ex; usaf

[Robert A Cook PE]

Can we build even 15 a month now under Boeing’s (McDonnel-Douglas) management?

[Robert A Cook PE]

"Boeing has a long-established goal of ramping F-15EX deliveries to two monthly, or 24 jets annually. For several years that outcome was uncertain, as the US Air Force’s acquisition plans fluctuated drastically."

[Red Badger]

Yes, if they move production to Alabama...........

[NorthMountain]

There aren't going to be any more F-22s

Because some politicians HATE America.

[Red Badger]

AVIATION PING!.......

[Red Badger]

All the test and production fixtures were destroyed..........

[srmanuel]

I don’t know the answer but at some point, are 1 million attack drones a more effective solution than a few more F-22s that cost 10s of millions per copy.

My numbers may be off, but the point is, is a mass-produced low-cost solution more effective than a 5th generation fighter, I think the answer is we probably need both, but in what numbers is the question.

[ryderann]

Fine and dandy, but when will Boeing deliver the new Air Force One ordered in 2018?

[Red Badger]

From what I have read it’s not Boeing, but the Secret Service and Air Force that keep adding and changing stuff that requires reengineering other stuff..........

[KarlInOhio]

I don’t know the answer but at some point, are 1 million attack drones a more effective solution than a few more F-22s that cost 10s of millions per copy.

Why did I just picture some 20 year old yelling from his basement for his mother to make him more mac and cheese while the Air Force preps a new drone for him to fly into combat from his military grade PS5?

[maro]

Maybe, but aren’t drones highly dependent on satellites? If the enemy knocks out our satellites, we lose combat effectiveness.

[Mariner]

Very effective tactical bomb truck after the F-35 clears the way.

But they cost more than the F-35.

[equaviator]

The MI ANG fighter upgrade to the F-15EX will bring the sound of freedom back to MI if it isn’t already here.

[ryderann]

Well, damn. I was hoping that Trump would get to fly in it.

[MotorCityBuck]

😂😂😂😂😂👍

[SunkenCiv]

Since the merger was in 1997, 29 years ago, that’s just a trope.

[srmanuel]

It’s my understanding that some are and some are not, some are preprogrammed with GPS coordinates or some other type of fixed navigation, some are programmed with AI to look for a specific target, some just loiter around the battlefield looking for movement or specific targets.

I’ve read that some of the Russian Drones are using strands of fiber optic cable to control them, which means satellites are not required.

The use of low-cost kamikaze drones has certainly changed the battlefield in the Russian/Ukraine war

[odawg]

“1 million attack drones a more effective solution “

But those one million attack drones can be rendered obsolete.

[adorno]

There aren't going to be any more F-22s

Because some politicians HATE America.

That might be part of the reason, but mostly, they are very expensive to build and very expensive to maintain. Really nice fighter-jet with the best stealth capability anywheere, but too expensive in many ways. Plus, it's being replaced by the f-47, with massively better capabilities, even as it's going to be a lot more expensive than anything the Air Force ever had.