“We are proud to be selected by Boeing to supply our unique iSNS technology for the F-15 platform,” Edgar Maimon, executive vice president and co-general manager of Elbit Systems ISTAR and EW, was quoted as saying. “Elbit Systems is a long-term supplier of Boeing, especially for the F-15 program, meeting quality, delivery time and cost requirements. F-15 has been a major platform in our portfolio for over two decades, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative work with Boeing in the future.”
Boeing’s F-15 program serves as the cornerstone of air superiority for the US, Israel and other air forces. It has grown in capabilities, range and payload capacities over the decades. Most of Israel’s F-15s were acquired in the second half of the 1970s, and a more advanced squadron arrived in Israel in the 1990s.
With a need to keep ahead of increased threats in the Middle East, the IAF is expected to soon place orders on several new aircraft to upgrade its aging squadrons, including a new model of the F-15IA from Boeing.
Last July, the US Air Force awarded a contract to Boeing to build as many as 200 new F-15s under the designation F-15EX. The first new F-15EX was officially unveiled by the Air Force on April 7 and will carry the name Eagle II.
The F-15X will come in two versions, a single-seat F-15CX and a twin-seat F-15EX, and be able to carry heavier loads of air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles than the current F-15s.