As Possible Attack on Iran Looms, Israel Requests 25 F-15 EX Fighter Jets from US  

Edited by: Fern Sidman

The Israeli Ministry of Defense has officially requested 25 F-15 EX fighters from the US, according to industry sources, but the Israeli air force is already hoping to double the order, as was reported by the BreakingDefense.com web site on January 19^th.

Sources told BreakingDefense.com that an official Letter of Request (LOR) for the fighters was sent from the Israeli government to the US government last week. Letters of request are the first step in the Foreign Military Sale process, after which details on numbers and pricing are negotiated.

The Times of Israel reported that in a series of farewell interviews last week, outgoing IDF chief of staff Aviv Kohavi reiterated that Iran was the main focus of the Israeli military, which was working to ensure it had the capabilities to go it alone if necessary to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Kohavi told the Walla news site that a potential attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities was the “main task” faced by the army, and vowed that “the IDF would be ready to carry out its mission on the day of the order,” as was reported by the Times of Israel.

In light of the growing uncertainty regarding a return by Iran to the 2015 nuclear deal with Western powers, the past two years have seen the IDF ramp up efforts to prepare a credible military threat against Tehran’s nuclear sites, the TOI report said.

Israel has been pushing for the US to prepare military contingency plans in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. TOI also reported that President Joe Biden has said he is prepared to use military force if necessary but still prefers to exhaust the diplomatic route first.

The political instability in Israel in recent years forced Israelis to take part in five general elections in less than four years, delaying the official decision on the purchase of the advanced version of the F-15, according to the breakingdefense.com web site.  In 2020, the Israeli government made a general decision to acquire additional F-35s and F-15s. But while the contract for the F-35 was signed, the one for the F-15s was not, the report added.

Since that time, however, the IAF expressed an urgent need for more F-15s that can be loaded with some types of weapon systems developed in Israel that are tailored to destroy “hardened” targets, such as Iranian nuclear sites, according to the breakingdefense.com report.

A defense source told Breaking Defense that now that the LOR has been issued, the earliest deliveries of the F-15 EX are expected in 2028, but the Israeli government may ask the US to condense that timeline, as was reported by breakingdefemse.com.

According to Boeing, the F15-EX “carries more weapons than any other fighter in its class, and can launch hypersonic weapons up to 22 feet long and weigh up to 7,000 pounds.”

The IAF wants 25 F-15 EX and in parallel to upgrade its 25 F-15 I variants to the same avionic configuration of the F-15 EX, except for the fly-by-wire system, the breakingdefense.com report said.  The Israeli defense source said that budget limitations may affect the “scope” of the F-15 I planned upgrade. Breaking Defense also reported that the IAF currently operates 50 F-15 A/B/C/D variants and 25 F-15 I.

When the IAF made a decision to buy more F-15s and F-35s, it was based on the assumption that in future combat scenarios targets will be protected by advanced air defense systems. Breaking Defense reported that this will require a first wave of F-35s to neutralize the air defense systems and then the F-15 “trucks” to follow with heavy loads of very advanced weapon systems, some which are in development.

From the Israeli perspective, the new defense relations between Russia and Iran make the operational need for more F-15 urgent, Breaking Defense reported. This follows reports that Moscow may sell its S-400 air defense systems to Iran that plans to deploy them to protect its nuclear sites.

The Israeli fleet of F-15s is essential not only to attack targets in Iran but also to stop accurate rocket launches by Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy force in Lebanon, the report stated.

Zohar Palti, a former intelligence director with Mossad, who recently retired from a 40-year career in Israel’s security establishment, said Israel’s military, has the capability to launch a successful strike on Iran’s nuclear plants.  He noted that receiving American permission to conduct an attack on Iran would not be necessary considering the severity of the circumstances but that Israeli government officials and defense experts will have to make “serious decisions” in the near future.

“One of the things that the Americans appreciate most is our ability to make our own decisions, to ensure our security,” he added, referencing Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities in Syria and Iraq that it had carried out alone without active American support, as was reported by the Times of Israel.

Speaking to Times of Israel political correspondent Tal Schneider at a recently held event in Ramat Hasharon, Palti said Iran “is at a more advanced level than I can ever remember when it comes to uranium enrichment.

“They are days or weeks away from enriching uranium to 90 percent, which is military-grade,” he said.