The Air Force Plans To Buy Newest F-15X Fighter Jet

The Pentagon is planning to request $1.2 billion for 12 new F-15X fighter aircraft, the newest version of the decades-old jet, in its fiscal year 2020 budget request, according to two people familiar with the decision who asked not to be named because it’s not yet official.

The F-15X is also set to be affordable, coming in at “well below” the $95 million cost of the F-35A. The newest Eagle would cost about $27,000 per hour to fly—again, well below the $45,000 an hour to fly the F-35A. Finally, Boeing claims that the F-15X will have a whopping 20,000-hour service life, enabling it to serve for decades. By comparison, the original F-15 was built to serve only 5,000 hours.