Chief of Boeing’s defense wing Ted Colbert has visited Tel Aviv to push the sale of advanced F-15 fighter jets for the Israeli Air Force.
Colbert told reporters on Monday that his visit is “about making sure that it is absolutely and positively clear that we remain committed to serving Israel, and that is expressed through the two big programs with the government of Israel and military, the F-15IA and the KC-46 [tankers].”
“We believe those represent the right capabilities to support the long arm of Israel, to support the missions today and in the future,” the Boeing official said, in an apparent nod to Israel’s drive to launch a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He also said that Boeing hopes to eventually replace all of Israel’s aging F-15I fleet if Tel Aviv decides to move ahead with procuring more F-15IAs in the immediate future.
The remarks come after Boeing touted the updated version of the F-15 as a warplane that “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.”
In November 2022, the Israeli Air Force held one of its largest drills with the US in years, during which the countries’ fighter jets simulated strikes against Iran's nuclear program infrastructure. Tehran has repeatedly described its nuclear program as something that is for peaceful purposes only, while Tel Aviv claims that the program aims to help the Islamic Republic to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Israel, the only state in the Middle East that possesses nuclear arms, considers Iran a direct threat to its national security. Under an agreement between Israel and the US, Washington will assist Tel Aviv with missile defense in case of a possible war in the region.