Dubai Airshow 2023: Boeing Targets Sales of F-15EX Fighter Jets to Saudi Arabia

In the midst of heating up political temperatures in the Middle East, the Dubai Airshow 2023 air exhibition officially opens today, namely from 13 to 17 November 2023 at Al Maktoum International Airport, United Arab Emirates. 

Read: Design and Feature Analysis of the B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber

Of the various defense equipment presented in the air demonstration, one of them was the F-15QA which was 'borrowed' specifically by Boeing from the Qatar Air Force.

A pair of F-15QAs are known to have landed in Dubai on November 10. The arrival of the F-15QA at the Dubai Airshow is intended by Boeing to encourage new sales of the F-15EX in the Middle East. 

As is known, the impact of the reduction in the total number of F-15QA orders by the US Air Force also had an influence on the increase in the price per unit of the F-15EX. So far, for the Middle East market, there has only been a request to purchase 25 F-15EX units from Israel.

The F-15QA, called the Ababil variant, was introduced as the base configuration for the F-15EX currently in production, but Boeing continues to seek additional foreign orders for new versions of the F-15 and modifications to its existing fleet globally.

Welcome to Dubai, F-15QA Ababil! Making a grand debut landing, this is the first appearance of the @MOD_Qatar Emiri Air Force new #F15 at #DubaiAirshow. pic.twitter.com/FuIR2GAo1y

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) November 12, 2023

Boeing has delivered the first three of 104 F-15EXs ordered by the US Air Force to replace its aging fleet of more than 200 F-15C/Ds. Previously, the US Air Force planned to buy 144 F-15EX units.

Quoted from aviationweek.com (12/11/2023), it is stated that the F-15EX procurement process by Israel is being temporarily stopped, because Israeli defense officials are currently focused on the ongoing war with Hamas.

Read: Russia Shows Trio of Deadly Missiles for Sukhoi Su-57 Stealth Fighter Jet

Apart from Israel, potential sales of the F-15EX in the Middle East are to Saudi Arabia, because the Saudi Arabian Air Force needs a replacement for its aging fleet of Tornado fighter aircraft, and is currently considering the acquisition of the latest variant of the Eurofighter Typhoon or Dassault Rafale, and recently Boeing too. interested in selling F-15EX to Riyadh.