Boeing CEO Ted Colbert announced Monday that the company will supply Israel with 25 F-15IA fighter jets (the Israeli variant of the advanced F-15EX) with options for 25 more.
The news follows a meeting held Sunday between the Boeing CEO and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, Boeing CEO Meet on ‘Future Security Deals’
The KC-36 tankers allow mid-air refueling – making it easier to attack nuclear sites in Iran – and can also be used as a field hospital behind enemy lines when need be.
The F-15 IA fighter jet has long-range capability and the ability to carry a large number of advanced weaponry. The IDF seeks to upgrade and add to its existing fleet of F-15s, which are able to carry the kind of heavy weapons the Israeli Air Force would need to penetrate Iran’s nuclear sites.
Most of Iran’s uranium enrichment sites, including the Fordow nuclear plant, are buried deep underground.
Colbert said the payload capability of the F-15 EX is “unmatchable,” and combined with the range of the KC-46 refueling planes, would “support the long arm of Israel.”
In light of this week’s revelation that Iran has enriched uranium to 84 percent purity – just six percent shy of the 90 percent purity required for a nuclear weapon – it is clear the question of how to stop Iran is becoming more urgent.
The aircraft are expected to arrive in Israel by 2025 and will enable Israeli fighter pilots to continue their missions for a much longer duration.
