It is rare that a 1970s-era fighter jet has its order book expand in the wake of stealth planes but the F‑15EX Eagle II has just done just that. Within the U.S. Air Force’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, planned procurement increased from 98 to 129 aircraft, a $3 billion commitment made at the expense of the F‑35 program, whose buy was reduced from 74 to 47 jets.
The attraction is a combination of brute capacity, cutting-edge electronics, and affordability. The F‑15EX can carry as much up to 29,500 pounds of ordnance on 12 external stations and two conformal stations more than any other fighter in its category and can operate at ranges well beyond 1,000 nautical miles. Propelled by two General Electric F110‑GE‑129 turbofans that generate 29,000 pounds of thrust each, it flies at Mach 2.5 while still possessing loitering capability with heavy weapons. Its open mission systems design makes it easy to integrate new sensors and weapons such as hypersonic missiles currently under testing.
Survivability, in the absence of stealth shaping, is enhanced through the BAE Systems Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS). This totally integrated electronic warfare system integrates radar warning, geolocation, and countermeasures, and is coupled with the Raytheon AN/APG‑82 AESA radar for detection at long ranges and jam resistance. Baseline EPAWSS is already coming into service, but BAE is progressing to EPAWSSv2, which Lindsay Gallagher, director of TacAir EW product line at BAE, indicates will provide “the ability to handle future threats” with more processing capability and the ability to target more threats at once. Possible upgrades include increased frequency coverage and cognitive EW processing in order to combat previously unseen signals in real time.
Foreign orders are supporting the St. Louis production line. Israel has 50 F‑15IA on order and considering further purchases, prompted by the requirement to attack heavily defended targets like buried structures. Qatar’s 48‑jet F‑15QA purchase is over two‑thirds delivered, and Indonesia has ordered 24 F‑15IDN. Saudi Arabia, which currently operates 84 F‑15SA, is negotiating 54 additional and possible supply chain participation. Poland, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan are also on the shopping list.
The U.S. Air Force deployment plan will result in Portland, Fresno, New Orleans, and two Kadena Air Base squadrons being re‑equipped, and Michigan’s Air National Guard trading its A‑10s. Increased squadron sizes 21 planes rather than 18 help account for the increase to 129 overall. Three are set aside for weapons testing and evaluation.
Industrial logic prevails. As production of the F/A‑18E/F winds down, the F‑15EX will become Boeing’s sole current fighter line until the F‑47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform comes online. The Air Force has admitted that it’s “not currently achievable,” to meet its aim to purchase 72 fighters each year, and the Eagle II becomes a bridge to sixth-generation capability. Meanwhile, the F‑15EX’s capability to carry outsized ordnance supports stealth assets such as the F‑35, which would destroy air defenses first before the Eagle II makes massed deliveries.
Production effectiveness is being enhanced by digital manufacturing methods like Full Sized Determinant Assembly, minimizing rework and allowing Boeing to aim for two planes per month in late 2026. These efficiencies are critical as orders from around the world vie for delivery dates and geopolitical tensions from the Indo‑Pacific to the Middle East create pressure.
For defense planners, the F‑15EX’s resurgence underscores a broader truth: in an era of contested airspace and proliferating advanced air defenses, capacity, range, and payload remain as strategically decisive as stealth. The Eagle II’s mix of proven airframe, modern avionics, and upgrade headroom has turned what some dismissed as a relic into one of the most sought‑after fighters in the world.
