The era of stealth fighters… Why has Israel returned to buying the F‑15?

Boeing has secured a massive contract to produce heavy fighter jets for the Israeli Air Force worth roughly 9 billion dollars.

A contract notice issued by the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that Boeing was awarded a deal valued at 8,577,700,000 dollars to produce F‑15IA fighters for Israel.

The contract covers aircraft design, integration, instrumentation, testing, production, and delivery, with an option to produce an additional 25 aircraft, according to Military Watch magazine.

Israel is the first country to request the purchase of F‑15s in more than eight years.

Qatar had purchased 25 F‑15QA fighters in 2017.

Since then, orders for the aircraft have been limited to the U.S. Air Force, which is acquiring the F‑15EX variant.

Although the F‑15 is the oldest fighter jet still in production worldwide, it also remains the heaviest, has the longest range, and is among the most expensive to produce today.

By purchasing 50 fighters, Israel will be able to retire its older F‑15A/B and F‑15C/D aircraft, which it has operated since the mid‑1970s.

The main upgrades of the F‑15IA compared to earlier models include the integration of an electronic flight‑control system that significantly improves performance and increases the aircraft’s weapons payload.

It also features integration of the new AN/APG‑82(V)1 active electronically scanned array radar, considered the most powerful carried by any Western fighter.

Modifications tailored to Israeli requirements are expected to focus on integrating local avionics — especially electronic‑warfare systems — and potentially domestically produced weapons such as Python‑5 short‑range air‑to‑air missiles and Delilah air‑launched cruise missiles.

And although the F‑15IA lacks the stealth capabilities of the F‑35 and some advanced avionics features, its advantages include a far greater range, a higher weapons payload capacity, and a more powerful radar.