The U.S. Air Force has selected Boeing for a $2.38 billion contract to build 22 F-15EX Eagle II aircraft. The service used funds previously made available through a congressionally provided reconciliation package to keep procurement moving before the fiscal year deadline.

The award covers Lot 7 of the F-15EX program. According to an Air Force release, the agreement accounts for current program conditions, including the effects of production disruptions during 2025 and inflation across the defense industrial base.

Lot 7 represents the latest piece of the Air Force’s effort to acquire the fighter aircraft while managing available funding and production pressures. The agreement also keeps Boeing under contract for another group of aircraft in the program.

“Lot 7 reflects a disciplined approach to executing available resources while balancing the realities affecting defense production,” Brig. Gen. Timothy Helfrich, portfolio acquisition executive for the Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate, said in the release.

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“The team remained focused on affordability, production continuity and delivering the aircraft needed to modernize the U.S. Air Force’s fighter fleet for the threats we face today and into the future,” he continued.

The agreement demonstrates the use of the Pentagon’s acquisition transformation principles, according to the release. Those principles allowed the integration of an F-15 negotiation team intended to improve delivery as the Air Force worked through the Lot 7 agreement.

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Funding for the contract came from the 2026 budget and a subsequent reconciliation package called the One Big Beautiful Bill. The available money carried a firm deadline that shaped the timing of the award.

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Under the reconciliation package, the funds had to be spent before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. If the money was not obligated by that point, the amount allotted could have faced cuts.

The Air Force release did not disclose the agreement’s total cost. Boeing separately announced the $2.38 billion value in a company release, providing the price attached to the production of the 22 aircraft.

With Lot 7 now awarded, Boeing is under contract with the Air Force for Lots 1 through 7. Those contracts bring the total number of F-15EX aircraft scheduled to be manufactured to 120.

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The F-15EX Eagle II is based on the established F-15 design. The Air Force intends for the aircraft to replace its aging F-15C and F-15D aircraft as the service modernizes its fighter fleet.

Described as a multirole heavy fighter, the F-15EX includes advanced avionics and large area displays. It also features digital backbone architecture and increased survivability capabilities, reflecting the modernization goals identified for the fleet.

The Lot 7 award connects aircraft production, funding requirements and the Air Force’s fleet modernization plans in a single agreement. It also incorporates the financial effects of inflation and the production disruptions that affected the program during 2025.

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The contract’s timing allowed the Air Force to use reconciliation funding before the Sept. 30 fiscal year deadline. At the same time, the service secured another 22 aircraft as part of its broader contracted total of 120 F-15EX fighters.

Boeing’s separate disclosure established the contract value at $2.38 billion, while the Air Force emphasized affordability, production continuity and delivery. The agreement now advances Lot 7 while maintaining the program’s production path through the latest contracted batch.

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