The Pentagon announced that Boeing has been awarded an $8.6 billion contract to supply Israel with advanced F-15 fighter jets, a major expansion of Israel’s airpower that comes as Washington weighs a potentially contentious sale of F-35s to Turkey.

The contract, disclosed shortly after Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, covers the design, testing, production and delivery of 25 new F-15IA aircraft for the Israeli Air Force, with an option for 25 additional jets.

“This contract provides for the design, integration, instrumentation, test, production, and delivery of 25 new F-15IA aircraft for the Israeli Air Force with an option for an additional 25 F-15IA aircraft,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

The F-15IA is Israel’s customized version of the F-15EX, the latest evolution of the long-serving F-15 platform. The aircraft remains a backbone of Israel’s aerial strike capability and has been heavily used in recent campaigns against Iranian-linked targets, including operations involving Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

Israel last November signed a $5.2 billion agreement for 25 F-15IA jets, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2031 at a rate of four to six aircraft per year. Monday’s announcement effectively doubles that order, bringing Israel’s planned F-15IA fleet to 50 aircraft, in addition to the 66 other F-15 variants already in service.

The expanded deal underscores Washington’s continued commitment to Israel’s air superiority, even as Trump signaled openness to selling advanced fighter jets elsewhere in the region.

During a joint appearance with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump said his administration is “very seriously” considering approving the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey. The remark immediately raised eyebrows in Israel, which has long opposed the transfer of top-tier U.S. military technology to regional powers it views as potential adversaries.

The United States removed Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019 after Ankara proceeded with the purchase of a Russian missile defense system, a move Washington said compromised NATO security. Despite that rupture, Trump has maintained close personal ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Asked about the risk of Turkey using F-35s against Israel, Trump brushed off concerns. “I promise they’ll never use them on [Israel],” he said. “We’re not going to have a problem.”

Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East operating the F-35, with 45 aircraft in active service and another 30 on order. That exclusivity has been central to Israel’s insistence on maintaining what it calls its “qualitative military edge” — a principle enshrined in U.S. law governing arms sales in the region.

Recent U.S. decisions have tested that doctrine. Trump has already announced plans to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia, a move that unsettled Israeli officials. U.S. defense officials have said the jets destined for Riyadh would be configured with reduced capabilities compared to those flown by the IDF.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)