---
title: "F-15EX Production Heats Up"
description: "The latest on the F-15EX from Boeing's Rob Novotny, including takeaways from early operations and what may be coming for the Eagle II. Boeing is about to start deliveries of the Lot 2 F-15EX and has high hopes for the future of the Eagle II."
date: "2025-03-13"
modified: "2025-03-13"
authors:
  - name: "Thomas Newdick"
    job_title: "Staff Writer"
    link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick"
url: "https://www.twz.com/air/f-15ex-production-heats-up"
categories:
  - "Air"
  - "Air Forces"
  - "F-15"
  - "Fighters"
  - "U.S. Air Force"
tags:
  - "AFA Warfare Symposium 2025"
---

# F-15EX Production Heats Up

![F-15EX deliveries accelerating.](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/F15EX-deliveries.jpg>)
*(U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Rebecca Abordo)*

*TWZ*’s Jamie Hunter recently caught up with Robert Novotny, Boeing’s executive director for F-15EX business development, who provided the latest on the U.S. Air Force’s newest fighter, the [Eagle II](<https://www.twz.com/sponsored-content/f-15ex-testers-are-now-preparing-the-eagle-ii-for-rapidly-adapting-to-new-missions>), which was recently [the subject of high praise](<https://www.twz.com/air/f-15ex-nails-pentagon-test-campaign-survivability-concerns-remain>) in the latest [annual report](<https://www.dote.osd.mil/annualreport>) from the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E).

Right now, Boeing is preparing to start to deliver Lot 2 of the Air Force’s F-15EX order, and the first aircraft in this batch — tail number 9 — flew earlier this month. Meanwhile, delivery of the eight Lot 1A and 1B jets was completed in June 2024, with six of those aircraft going to [developmental testing](<https://www.twz.com/sponsored-content/this-is-how-usaf-testers-have-helped-to-field-the-f-15ex-fast>) at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and two for [the type’s first operational unit](<https://www.twz.com/news-features/inside-the-first-f-15ex-wing-commanders-plans-to-speed-the-newest-eagle-into-service>), the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard in Portland, Oregon.

As Novotny discusses in the video, some of those Eglin F-15EXs recently took part in the latest edition of the Bamboo Eagle exercise off the California coast, which you can read about [here](<https://www.twz.com/air/tankers-flood-airspace-off-the-california-coast-for-china-focused-air-combat-exercise>). The large-force exercise series [has quickly become](<https://www.twz.com/air/massive-china-focused-air-combat-exercise-underway-off-california-coast>) one of the most important for the U.S. military, as well as key allies, and has a clear eye on preparing for a future coalition fight in the Pacific with China — a potential conflict in which the F-15EX would very likely [play an important role](<https://www.twz.com/f-15ex-fleet-too-small-for-what-commanders-want-out-of-it>).

![An F-15EX assigned to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, flies behind a KC-135 assigned to the 465th Air Refueling Squadron, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, Oct. 15, 2021. In-air refueling allows fighter aircraft to stay airborne for longer periods of time without having to land to refuel.](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/F-15EX-EAGLE-II.jpg>)
*U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Mary Begy*

Novotny also alludes to teaming with unmanned aircraft and the F-15EX’s ability to carry outsized weapons, which is something else that *TWZ* has [looked at in detail in the past](<https://www.twz.com/40660/f-15ex-to-carry-new-oversized-air-to-air-missile>), as well as its current installation of the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System, or EPAWSS, which you can read more about [here](<https://www.twz.com/air/f-15e-strike-eagle-with-new-epawss-electronic-warfare-suite-heads-to-frontline-unit>).

Finally, there are some very interesting items on Novotny’s ‘wish list’ for future F-15EX capabilities, namely [smart expendables](<https://www.twz.com/29789/spear-mini-cruise-missile-getting-an-electronic-warfare-variant-to-swarm-with-is-a-huge-deal>), [a towed decoy](<https://www.twz.com/air/f-15s-new-epawss-electronic-warfare-suite-already-has-successor-in-development>), and enhancements to the [infrared search and track sensor](<https://www.twz.com/air/f-15-nose-mounted-infrared-search-and-track-sensor-hinted-at-in-new-boeing-photo>) available to it.

The video below, shot at the Air Force Association’s 2025 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, last week, gives us the full view on where the F-15EX program is at right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX2Cq0478IQ

*Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com*

## Author
Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/CombatAir>)