Twice as many F-15s as Israel. Delivery out of order?

Interestingly, Israel previously wanted to purchase only 25 new F-15 aircraft, and now in the notification of the presidential administration to Congress this number has doubled. In addition, 30 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and JDAM equipment, which are used to convert classic bombs into precision glide bombs, will be sold.

Humanitarian issues stood in the way of this sale, which was beneficial to the United States and its industry, including the killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces. However, members of the US Congress have now stated that the new aircraft will only be delivered within a few years (hence after the activities currently underway). The 50 F-15EX and relatively modest weapons package will be one of the largest US arms sales in history. It is worth noting that on paper these machines are fighters, that is, typical defensive structures, but in reality they are heavy machines that are also capable of offensive operations, including carrying up to 15 tons of weapons. This makes it a better bomber than Russia’s specialized Su-34 front-line bombers, which can carry “only” 14 tons.

Interestingly, the Israelis have been demanding that their F-15s be delivered as soon as possible from the beginning, at the expense of US Air Force delivery dates. Taking into account the current production capacity of these aircraft (allowing for the delivery of 18 aircraft per year, work is underway to increase production to 24 aircraft per year, which will be achieved by 2027), 25 F-15s “without queue” may mean a delay. It ranges between 1 and 1.5 years for the USAF, but in the case of the 50, the delay could be up to three years. On the other hand, given the current transformation of US military aviation and the phasing out of machines dating back to the Cold War, there is an urgent need for new aircraft.