The Air Force’s 15th F-15EX could be the first delivered to after the three-month strike at the St. Louis plant impacted production of the Eagle II and the F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III.
Boeing announced on Nov. 26, 2025, the delivery of a new F-15EX Eagle II fighter to the 142nd Wing of the Portland ANGB (Air National Guard Base), Oregon. The aircraft, tail number 21-0015, is the 142nd Wing’s eight F-15EX, Boeing said.
“This delivery reflects close collaboration between production, test, logistics, and the Oregon Air National Guard – a true team achievement,” commented the company. This possibly marks the resumption of deliveries of the F-15EX, following the end of the workers’ strike at the Boeing factory at St. Louis, Missouri, that had considerably affected production and timelines.
Portland ANGB is the F-15EX’s first operational location, and received its first F-15EX on Jun. 6, 2024. That aircraft, serial 20-0008, was the first of 18 scheduled to arrive there.
The Air Force has so far received six F-15EXs part of Lot 2, according to an Oct. 9, 2025, Air and Space Forces Magazine report that quoted then incoming USAF chief Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach’s testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
15 never looked this good!
F-15 EX15 has officially joined the @142ndWG Oregon Air National Guard as their eighth #F15EX. This delivery reflects close collaboration between production, test, logistics, and the Oregon @AirNatlGuard — a true team achievement. pic.twitter.com/XbvcBPd0Fk
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) November 25, 2025
Air Force F-15EX plans
The Air Force’s current plan spells out a need for 129 F-15EXs, of which 126 expected by the end of 2030. This plan is already “nine months behind schedule,” according to a recent unclassified report by the service to the Congress about which we reported here at The Aviationist.
Among the reasons for that delay were the labor strikes at Boeing’s plant at St. Louis, Missouri, which at the time of our report had been on for over 12 weeks and had impacted production of both the F-15EX and F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III.
The strike ended on Nov. 13, 2025, The Missouri Independent reported. “About 3,200 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted to approve Boeing’s latest offer by a 68% margin, after rejecting the company’s previous four offers,” TMI said.
Boeing’s Vice President for Fighters Mark Sears told Breaking Defense the company expects the F-15 production line to be active well into the next decade, with the aircraft operating through the 2050s, while the company plans to “double output to 24 aircraft in the coming years.” This means its present capacity is 12 airframes annually.
F-15EX deliveries
According to the ASF report, which quoted Wilsbach speaking about the delay in the F-15EX deliveries due to the strike to lawmakers, the strike “will also affect deliveries to overseas locations in 2026.” Wilsbach was referring to Kadena Air Base, Japan, which was set to receive the F-15EXs in the next spring.
Kadena’s 18th Wing operated the F-15C/D Eagle for 45 years with the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons, and flew the final operational flight with that type on Jan. 24, 2025. The unit is set to receive F-15EX Eagle IIs as replacements, and on Jul. 12, 2025, saw two Eagle IIs from Eglin AFB’s 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron arrive at Kadena to aid in the preparations.
R5Ⅱの嘉手納デビューがこれでした。
Jul.12,2025 Kadena Air Base DNA/RODN
USAF 53WG 85TES “Flying Skulls” F-15E/[SJ]Seymour Johnson AFB pic.twitter.com/GCiCLDePZz
— ASCOT (@ascot110) July 12, 2025
In a press release, the 18th Wing said the goal of this short-term visit was to conduct integration and familiarization training with local units, preparing Kadena’s personnel for the arrival and future sustainment of the F-15EX in Spring 2026.
Capabilities
Before the lawmakers, Wilsbach said how the F-15EX will have “the capability to carry weapons that very few other platforms do.” These include “very long-range weapons, perhaps hypersonic weapons, that don’t fit in the internal weapons bay of our fifth- and future sixth-generation aircraft.”
Wilsbach was possibly referring to the Air Force’s hypersonic weapons, as in the past the aircraft was evaluated as a possible launch platform for the AGM-183 ARRW (Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon). The weapon is currently being tested on the B-52H Stratofortress.
Another weapon which might end up on the Eagle II could be the AIM-260 JATM (Joint Advanced Tactical Missile), which in the future is meant to supplement the most advanced variants of the AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile). The weapon began development in 2017 to match the nearly 300 km ranges of the Russian R-37 and the Chinese PL-15 missiles.
A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II flies over the Gulf of America. (tsgt jacob stephens) pic.twitter.com/Qy1ijDVs0n
— J.J. (@kadonkey) November 15, 2025
Wilsbach also praised the F-15, drawing from his tenure as a former operational Eagle pilot. According to ASF, he described the aircraft as “an incredible workhorse” and argued that it, along with its fellow fourth-generation fighter – the F-16, “brings a lot of capability.”
The F-15EX Eagle II, derived from the advanced F-15QA and which also has many commonalities with the F-15C, was developed in response to the evolving threats highlighted by the National Defense Strategy, amid a return to a possible conventional war with peer rivals China and Russia. The F-15EX incorporates exclusive U.S.-specific features, such as the AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) and the Open Mission Systems (OMS) architecture, enhancing its electronic warfare and surveillance capabilities.
The Eagle II will also be more suited for heavier missile truck roles while undertaking teaming tactics with advanced Gen. 5 jets like the F-22 and the F-35. Renditions of some CCAs, like the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, have also been shown flying alongside the Eagle II, whose dual seat and current generation of electronics will be more suited to control collaborative UCAVs.
