Boeing recently announced that it has secured an Air Force contract to build the initial eight F-15EX advanced fighter jets and an overall Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity pact.
Officials said the agreement calls for $1.2 billion for the first allotment of aircraft, with the overall Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity component possessing a ceiling value of nearly $23 billion for the F-15EX.
“The F-15EX is the most advanced version of the F-15 ever built, due in large part to its digital backbone,” Lori Schneider, Boeing F-15EX program manager, said. “Its unmatched range, price, and best-in-class payload capacity make the F-15EX an attractive choice for the U.S. Air Force.”
The F-15EX carries more weapons than any other fighter in its class, can launch hypersonic weapons up to 22 feet long, weighing up to 7,000 pounds. The F-15 program serves as a pathfinder for the Department of Defense’s DevSecOps initiative, aimed at developing secure, flexible, and agile software.
“F-15EX brings together benefits of digital engineering, open mission systems, and agile software development to keep it affordable and upgradable for decades to come,” Prat Kumar, Boeing vice president and F-15 program manager, said. “This means we can rapidly test and field new capabilities on F-15EX, keeping our warfighters ahead of threats.”