With the aim of increasing its air power amid mounting regional tensions, Israel inked a deal for the acquisition of 25 next-generation F-15 fighter jets from US aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
The Israeli Defense Ministry announced in a statement this Friday that it signed a deal with the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing for the purchase of 25 next-generation F-15 fighter jets worth $5.2 billion.
“The agreement is part of a larger aid package approved earlier this year by the United States, and the deliveries are set to begin in 2031 and will see the provision of four to six jets per year,” the ministry said. The news of the $5.2 billion in fighter jets comes one day after Donald Trump was announced as the winner of the 2024 US election.
Speaking of the deal in a press conference the same day in Tel Aviv, the Director-General of Israel’s Defense Ministry, Eyal Zamir said that the new purchase “will enable the Israeli Air Force to maintain its strategic superiority in addressing current and future challenges in the Middle East.” Israel has secured deals worth almost $40 billion since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the outbreak of the war on Gaza on 7 October.
“The squadron of new jets and those acquired earlier this year represents a historic enhancement of our air power and strategic reach – capabilities that proved crucial during the current war, and while focusing on immediate needs for advanced weaponry and ammunition at unprecedented levels, we’re simultaneously investing in long-term strategic capabilities,” Zamir also noted.
A recent report published by Brown University’s Costs of War project showed that between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, the Biden administration spent at least $22.76 billion to support Israel’s war machine in Gaza and Lebanon. “American arms manufacturers have made massive profits since Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon began last year,” the report noted.
