The Pentagon has decided to dramatically expand the U.S. Air Force’s F-15EX procurement program, raising the planned buy from 104 aircraft to 267 under the fiscal 2027 budget request, which totals $1.5 trillion. The move, described in the article as a major shift in American airpower thinking, reflects a belief that in prolonged, high-intensity wars, heavy firepower, survivability, and payload capacity matter as much as stealth.
The F-15EX is being cast as the Air Force’s new workhorse. According to professional reports cited in the article, it can carry about 13,380 kilograms of weapons, more than any other fighter in active service. That includes up to 12 AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles in a single mission, as well as anti-ship missiles and precision-guided bombs. With advanced electronic warfare systems and modern sensors, it is effectively a heavy strike platform that does not rely solely on stealth.
The new concept is a division of labor, stealth fighters detect and the F-15EX destroys. In future conflict scenarios, F-35s and the next-generation F-47 will act as the “eyes” deep inside enemy territory, passing targeting data in real time to the F-15EX, which would launch from a safer distance outside the threat envelope. The Pentagon stressed that the F-15EX is not meant to replace the F-35, but to complement it with capabilities stealth aircraft do not have.
The decision also gives Boeing a major industrial boost, securing production at its St. Louis, Missouri, plant for at least a decade and providing stability for thousands of defense workers after difficulties in its civilian business. The article says the shift comes after the loss of four F-15s in operational activity over the past year, and after an American fighter was shot down in Iran last month by a Chinese-made shoulder-fired missile, the first such loss to enemy fire in decades. Despite those setbacks, the Pentagon still sees the F-15EX as a critical platform for the coming decades.
