Key points
- Deal covers 25 jets, option for 25 more
- Contract follows Trump–Netanyahu meeting in Florida
- US remains Israel’s largest arms supplier
WASHINGTON: Boeing has been awarded an $8.6 billion contract for the F-15 Israel Programme, the Pentagon announced on Monday, following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida.
“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.
The Pentagon said the contract involved foreign military sales to Israel. The US has long been by far the largest arms supplier to its closest Middle East ally, reports Reuters.
Pro-Palestinian and anti-war protesters around the US had demanded an end to Washington’s military support for Israel due to its devastating assault on Gaza but those demands have not been met in the administrations of President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden.
Contract work will be performed in St. Louis, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2035, the Pentagon said in a statement.
