The Air Force last week awarded Boeing $4 billion toward the company’s ongoing activities to upgrade Saudi Arabia’s fleet of 70 F-15s to the new “SA” standard. This F-15 model includes an advanced electronically scanned array radar, among its modern features. Work under this new contract is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019, according to the description in the Pentagon’s list of major contracts for Nov. 2. This award builds upon a $1.8 billion contract awarded in June for these conversions, which fall under the larger $29.4 billion foreign military sales deal with the Saudis that also includes Boeing supplying 84 new-build F-15SAs. In March, Boeing received $11.4 billion towards its work on the new fighters.
An F-16 pilot was awarded a Silver Star for a harrowing mission in which he dodged multiple surface-to-air missiles during the opening weeks of the operation against the Houthis in Yemen earlier this year.
