The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a contract valued at up to $2.8 billion to modernise South Korea’s F-15K Slam Eagle fighter aircraft, a derivative of the US Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle.
Under the agreement, Boeing will be responsible for the design and development of an integrated package of aircraft systems, although the Pentagon’s contract announcement did not specify the individual subsystems involved.
The work will be carried out in St. Louis, Missouri, with programme completion scheduled for 31 December 2037.
The award follows US approval in November 2024 of a $6.2-billion foreign military sales package covering F-15K upgrades, including new radars, mission systems, and associated support equipment.
The Republic of Korea Air Force’s F-15K Slam Eagle has been tailored to the unique threat environment of the Korean Peninsula, supporting air-to-air missions, deep-strike operations, and anti-ship warfare.
Optimised for long-range attacks against hardened and deeply buried targets — a critical requirement given North Korea’s extensive underground infrastructure — the aircraft operates alongside South Korea’s F-35A stealth fighters.
The F-15K is powered by GE F110 engines and is configured to carry long-range Taurus cruise missiles as well as indigenous precision-guided munitions.
South Korea operates approximately 59 F-15K aircraft, and the modernisation effort is intended to extend the fleet’s service life into the 2030s, enhance survivability and sensor performance, and preserve interoperability with US forces.
