What you need to know: The F-15EX Eagle II, an upgraded 4.5 generation fighter, entered service with the US Air Force in June and is generating international interest, with Israel already securing an $18 billion deal for 25 airframes.
Although positioned as a cost-effective alternative to fifth-generation aircraft such as the F-35, the F-15EX has been criticized for its high flyaway costs, which have risen to $94 million per aircraft due to inflation and smaller order sizes. Boeing is optimistic that foreign military sales, including possible deals with Indonesia and Poland, will help keep costs in check.
-Despite its price, the Eagle II remains a highly capable platform for modern air operations.
F-15EX Eagle II: the expensive but capable fighter jet is gaining worldwide attention
Although operational stealth fighters of the fifth generation and emerging sixth generation fighters are all the rage these days, upgraded editions of time-honored and battle-proven fourth-generation fighters are not quite ready to ‘go softly into the good night’.
The F-15EX Eagle IIthe latest and greatest edition (essentially a 4.5 generation upgrade) of the two-seat F-15E Strike Eagle, is a case in point. The Eagle II has officially entered operational service with the US Air Force last Juneand two months later was approved for sale to (in an $18 billion deal for twenty-five airframes)) to the Israeli Air Force (IAF), who officially rename the fighter-bomber the F-15IA. Indonesia and Poland are in the proverbial queue of potential foreign military sales (FMS) customers, and there is also at least the possibility that the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF)that is, the Taiwan Air Forcewill purchase the warbird in the near future as an additional bulwark against Beijing’s aggression.
If there’s one fault to be found with the F-15EX, it’s this: it’s just so expensive.
In theory less expensive…
Ideally, the Eagle II is intended as a lower-cost stopgap to address the void created by the shortage of fifth-generation stealth fighters in the U.S. military’s arsenal. This shortage was caused by the double whammy of 1) then US Secretary of Defense Bob Gates Short-sighted decision from 2009 to kill the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor program after less than half of the originally ordered number had been built, and (2) continued reliability issues and cost overruns with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
In fact, as Boeing proudly declares the information page about the Eagle II:
“Ready to fight as soon as it comes off the line, the F-15EX is the most affordable, reliable and immediate way to refresh the capabilities and update the capabilities of tactical fighter fleets… With low operating costs compared to other fighter aircraft, yet four times the weapon payload and twice the fuel, range and speed, the F-15EX represents a modern solution that the global air force can deploy within their schedule.”
…But in practice more expensive
And then reality hits you awake: as my colleagues Maya Carlin and Peter Suciu wrote in a May 20, 2024 article for The National Interest: “How can the F-15EX fighter be more expensive than the F-35?”,
“Last October, the Department of Defense warned that the F-15EX could have a ‘flyaway cost’ of as much as $94 million per aircraft, if only the US Air Force followed through with its plans to purchase 104 aircraft. If that number drops, costs go up. This is reported by the magazine Air & Space Forcesthe air service had previously considered purchasing as many as 200 Eagle IIs, only to reduce that number. The initial cost estimate for the versatile F-15EX was $80 million – which wasn’t exactly a bargain even then, considering it was comparable to the F-35… It’s more than just the order being cut. Flight costs are a value of the cost of producing an aircraft, as well as the production inputs essential to its construction, which have risen due to inflation and ongoing supply chain problems. Boeing has reversed its estimates.”
Looking ahead…
Digging a little deeper, the authors add that Boeing officials have promised to reduce costsand they have suggested that the aforementioned current and future FMS transactions will help keep warbird costs in check.
There’s also that small, insignificant matter of Boeing’s recent poor safety recordwhich in itself creates a very special discussion. But seeing how the IAF has managed to avoid the bugs in its own F-35s that have so persistently plagued American-owned Lightning IIs, I imagine the same Israeli ingenuity will be applied to the F-15EX. And despite all the fuss about the reliability issues plaguing Boeing products, I’ve heard no such complaints about the Eagle II (or any other variant of the Eagle jet).
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr is senior defense editor for the National Safety Gazette (NSJ). He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, a federal law enforcement officer, and a private military contractor (with assignments in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an MA in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from the American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The daily torch, The Journal of Intelligence and CybersecurityAnd Easy flying. Last but not least, he is a Knight in the Order of the Order of the Sea of the United States (NOUS).
Image credits: Creative Commons.