The Pentagon has approved Israel’s acquisition of F-15 IA, the Israel-specific variant of F-15 EX. This represents the biggest upgrade to Israel’s F-15 fleet, which has remained a workhorse of the Israel Air Force (IAF) since 1979, when it scored its first air-to-air kill.
The Pentagon awarded Boeing an $8.6 billion contract for 25 new F-15IAs (Israel Advanced) jets on December 29, 2025, following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
“This contract provides for the design, integration, instrumentation, test, production, and delivery of 25 new F-15IA aircraft for the Israeli Air Force with an option for an additional 25 F-15IA aircraft,” the Pentagon said in a statement. Additionally, it notes that the contract is part of a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Israel.
The work on the contract will take place in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2035, according to the Pentagon.
The F-15 has long been valued for its versatility, including its ability to carry substantial weapons over long distances. It is the only aircraft in the world that boasts over 100 air-to-air kills and zero combat losses.
In fact, Israel’s F-15 may be responsible for at least half of these aerial kills.
NEW: Pentagon awarded Boeing an $8.6 billion contract to produce 25 F-15IA fighter jets for Israel, with an option for 25 more.
The deal formalizes production of Israel’s customized F-15EX variant. pic.twitter.com/PnJeIkZoqr
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 30, 2025
The F-15IA is a tailored version of the F-15EX, the most advanced F-15 variant built to date. It is equipped with cutting-edge weapon systems and will integrate state-of-the-art Israeli technologies.
The upgraded jet reportedly promises enhanced range, increased payload capacity, and superior performance across diverse operational scenarios. These upgrades are expected to strengthen Israel’s combat capabilities amid an increasingly hostile environment in the Middle Eastern region.
The latest contract comes nearly a year after the Israel Defense Ministry announced the agreement to acquire a squadron of F-15IA fighter jets in November 2024, following an official US authorisation in August 2024, as reported by the EurAsian Times at the time.
F-15—The Backbone Of The IAF
Widely recognised as being the most advanced and formidable air force in the Middle East, the Israel Air Force operates approximately 280–310 modern combat jets, primarily advanced US-derived platforms customised for Israel’s unique requirements.
Despite the cutting-edge F-35 Adir stealth fighters, the F-15s remain the real beasts. Israel operates the older F-15 Baz and the upgraded F-15I Ra’am, both of which have seen their fair share of combat to date.
Israel started acquiring the F-15 Baz in 1976.
Powered by two F100 engines, each delivering over 23,000 pounds of thrust, the F-15 could exceed Mach 2.5 and climb beyond 65,000 feet. The F-15 Baz’s frame, a mix of aluminum, titanium, and steel, was built to withstand significant stress, and its wide fuselage provided stability and housed advanced radar and weapon systems.
These aircraft continue to serve multiple roles, including long-range strikes, air defense, and command-and-control functions.
The F-15s have long been prized for their adaptability, including their ability to transport heavy weapons over long distances. Even the older F-15 (A/B/C/D) Baz types have been modified for ground-attack missions, while the more recent F-15Is—which were delivered 25 years ago—remain an essential component of the IAF’s inventory.
The Israeli F-15 scored its first air-to-air victory in 1979 when IAF ace Moshe Melnik downed a Syrian MiG-21 with an Israeli-origin Python 3 missile during a mission over Lebanon. IAF pilot Eitan Ben-Eliyahu made the F-15’s first gun kill during that same engagement.
In 1981, as the IAF launched Operation Opera to bomb Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad, six F-15s provided cover and escort for eight F-16s that dropped bombs on the reactor. The mission was a success, and none of these fighters encountered any resistance.
The pinnacle of F-15’s combat in the IAF came in the 1982 Lebanon War. Some sources state that the F-15 Baz downed about 30-40 aircraft, while some state it eliminated 60.
The exact number of air-to-air kills scored in the war could not be independently confirmed. However, we know that the Israeli F-15s attained considerable aerial superiority, downing multiple Syrian aircraft, including MiG-21s, MiG-23s, and MiG-25s, without suffering any air-to-air casualties.
In 1983, an Israeli F-15 made history when it managed to land safely without a wing after suffering a mid-air collision with an A-4 Skyhawk during a dissimilar combat training session. You can read the full story about this gravity-defying act of survival in the previous EurAsian Times report.
After the success of the Baz, Israel inducted the upgraded F-15I Ra’am, a specialized variant of the American-made F-15 Eagle, in the late 1990s. This new F-15 variant was designed to perform dual roles of long-range strikes and air superiority missions.
The Ra’am has been actively involved in several conflicts both inside and outside of Israel’s borders, such as those in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon.
After Israel declared war on Gaza after the October 2023 attacks, the F-15s were deployed to conduct precision airstrikes on Hamas targets, including tunnels, command centres, and infrastructure.
The aircraft complemented the F-35I and F-16I jets with thousands of sorties, often carrying heavy payloads such as JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions).
In fact, the F-15 may lack the stealth features of the fifth-generation US fighters like the F-22 Raptor and F-35, but it offers remarkable combat capabilities due to its unmatched payload capacity, earning it the nickname “Bomb Truck.”
The F-15I was reportedly behind the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in September 2024. The F-15I aircraft from the 69th fighter squadron dropped close to 100 bombs (including the GBU-31) on Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in the heart of Beirut, as later disclosed by the Israel Defense Forces.
More significantly, though, the aircraft was deployed against Iran during Operation Rising Lion in June 2025. F-15s, including older Baz variants, were deployed for targeting nuclear facilities, air defenses, missile sites, and command centers.
In fact, seven antiquated F-15 Baaz delivered by the US to Israel seven years ago were among the first to attack Iran. These jets were converted from junk to flyable IAF jets by Israeli engineers in the hangars of Maintenance Unit 212 at Tel Nof Air Base, as detailed by the Jerusalem Post.
How Is F-15IA Better Than F-15I Ra’am?
The F-15IA is a major upgrade over the F-15I Ra’am, which is based on the older F-15E Strike Eagle that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) first received in 1998.
While the Ra’am has been a reliable long-range strike platform with Israeli-specific integrations for weapons and electronic warfare (EW), the F-15IA integrates cutting-edge technologies from the EX variant, such as improved avionics, radar, survivability features, and performance. This allows for better interoperability with fifth-generation fighters like the F-35I Adir, greater payload, and improved operations in contested environments.
While the Ra’am uses an older analog-digital hybrid cockpit with smaller displays, the F-15IA variant features a fully digital glass cockpit with a large 10×19-inch touchscreen multifunction display (MFD), Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) II in both front and rear seats for 360-degree targeting, a low-profile heads-up display (HUD), standby displays, and Hands-On Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS) controls.
In summary, the IA provides better situational awareness, faster data processing, and a better human-machine interface.
The F-15I Ra’am uses the mechanically scanned AN/APG-70 radar, which is less capable in multi-target tracking, range, and jamming resistance.
In contrast, the F-15IA is equipped with the AN/APG-82(V)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which enables longer detection ranges, higher resolution, and integration with Electronic Warfare (EW) to disrupt enemy radars. This upgrade significantly enhances beyond-visual-range engagements and ground mapping.
The F-15IA also features increased payload capacity and supports outsized weapons, such as hypersonic missiles and larger bomb loads. The IA’s upgrades provide greater range and flexibility for heavy bunker-busters or standoff munitions without compromising maneuverability, a capability well-suited to the IDF’s needs against adversaries such as Iran.
Israeli F-15s have so far been used as command-and-control nodes and for forward networking, which is essential for overseeing long-range operations. Meanwhile, the F-15IA is also effective for air defense, including against drone threats, and for air-to-ground operations nearer to Israel.
The Ra’am relies on Israeli-customized EW systems. However, the IA variant further extends this capability with the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) for advanced jamming, threat detection, and countermeasures in contested environments.
The Ra’am already features Israeli weapons wiring, but the IA builds on this with expanded options for larger payloads and advanced standoff weapons.
Notably, the IA variant retains compatibility with US weapons like AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9X Sidewinder, JDAMs, and M61A1 Vulcan cannon while adding Israeli-specific integrations for state-of-the-art munitions, including heavy precision-guided bombs, air-launched ballistic missiles, and potentially future hypersonics.
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