Israel says to buy 25 ‘next generation’ F-15 fighter jets

Aircraft will feature greater range, greater payload capacity and better performance

JERUSALEM: Israel’s defence ministry said on Thursday it had signed a $5.2 billion agreement with Boeing to purchase 25 “next generation” F-15 fighter jets, financed by US military aid.

The deal includes an option for 25 more aircraft, with deliveries to start in 2031 in batches of four to six jets annually, the ministry said in a statement.

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The F-15IA jets would be “equipped with cutting-edge weapons systems, including the integration of cutting-edge Israeli technologies”, the ministry said.

“The modernised aircraft will feature greater range, greater payload capacity and better performance in various operational scenarios,” it added.

Since the start of the war with Hamas, Israel has secured arms purchase agreements worth nearly $40 billion, defence ministry director general Eyal Zamir said.

“While focusing on immediate needs for advanced weaponry and ammunition at unprecedented levels, we’re simultaneously investing in long-term strategic capabilities,” he said in the statement.

“This F-15 squadron, alongside the third F-35 squadron procured earlier this year, represents a historic enhancement of our air power and strategic reach - capabilities that proved crucial during the current war.”

Israel’s air force has repeatedly targeted Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon since October last year, following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel.

It also launched retaliatory strikes against Iran on October 26 weeks after about 200 missiles were fired at Israel, following Israeli strikes that killed leaders from Hamas, Hezbollah and an Iranian general.

At the end of September, Israel said it had received a new package of US military aid worth $8.7 billion.