Indonesia Drops Its Plan Of Procuring F-15EX From Boeing.

Jakarta; February 2026: With Rafale deliveries underway, Indonesia has stepped away from its previous plan to buy up to 24 F-15EX Eagle IIs. Indonesia, once in line to be the first export operator of the F-15EX Eagle II multirole fighter, has forgone its plans to buy the Boeing-made jets. The deal had been on hold for the last two years. It is mention worthy that both Indonesia and Boeing have never revealed the pricing dynamics.

Bernd Peters, vice president of business development and strategy for Boeing Defense, Space and Security, has confirmed that the F-15EX for Indonesia “is no longer an active campaign for the Boeing company”. The reason for this turnaround is unclear; Boeing deferred questions on this matter to the governments of Indonesia and the United States, which were working on the program under the Foreign Military Sales process.

In August 2023, Jakarta had formally committed to buy up to 24 of the jets from Boeing. By now, the Indonesian version had been renamed F-15IND. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the purchase of the jets was signed in St. Louis, Missouri, the location of the F-15 production facility. Among those in attendance was Indonesia’s Minister of Defense, Prabowo Subianto, who had a tour of the F-15 production line. “We are pleased to announce our commitment to procure the critical F-15EX fighter capability for Indonesia”, Subianto had said, while adding: “This state-of-the-art fighter will protect and secure our nation with its advanced capabilities”.

However, it’s notable that the U.S. State Department’s approval for the F-15 deal came only hours after Indonesia’s announcement that it would be buying 42 of France’s Dassault Rafale multirole fighters. Deliveries of these are now underway.

Even without F-15s, the Indonesian Air Force is building one of the most modern and capable fighter fleets in Southeast Asia. Aside from the Rafales, the Indonesian Air Force operates a mix of U.S. and Russian fighters. The Viper fleet consists of around eight survivors from the 12 F-16A/B Block 15OCU fighters delivered beginning in 1989, plus 23 upgraded F-16C/Ds.

In terms of Russian-made equipment, Indonesia fields several different versions of the Sukhoi Flanker. These comprise 05 single-seat Su-27SKs and 02 two-seated Su-30MKs, deliveries of which started in 2003, plus 09 two-seated Su-30MK2s, the first of which was handed over in 2008. Since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sanctions on Russia have likely made it far trickier to support them.

Looking further ahead, Indonesia has long been expected to buy 50 examples of the KF-21 new-generation fighter that the country is developing jointly with South Korea. Indonesia’s PT DI is an industry partner in the KF-21 alongside Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), with a 20% share of the project. In the past, however, Jakarta has failed to make payments to secure its stake in the program, and its long-term commitment to the program has repeatedly been questioned.

A firm commitment to the KF-21 could also have spelled the end of the F-15 acquisition. Buying both Rafales and KF-21s, as well as supporting older jets, involves enormous costs, not just in terms of upfront expenses, but also in terms of training and support. At one point, Indonesia planned to buy Su-35s, which would have seen Russia receive half its payments in the form of exports of palm oil, rubber, and other commodities. Other big-ticket arms deals have seen Indonesia rely on loan payments, reflecting the precarious defense budget situation.

For Boeing, Indonesia’s pushback is a major setback, although it will be tempered by the fact that, late last year, Israel signed a contract for 25 new F-15IA aircraft. These will be the first new Eagles that the country has acquired since 1999, and these jets will also be based on the F-15EX. Meanwhile, the company says it’s still committed to working with Indonesia on existing programs like the country’s AH-64 Apache fleet.

“We feel the F-15 will continue to have a very bright future in the region”, Boeing’s Bernd Peters said.

Elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, Boeing last month received a $2.8-billion award for upgrades to South Korea’s F-15K Slam Eagle fleet, with work expected to be completed in 2037. You can read more about this program here.

Returning to the F-15EX, under the Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal, the U.S. Air Force’s program of record is now set to grow from 98 to 129 aircraft, with the addition of at least one more squadron, which will be converting from the A-10. It seems quite possible that further growth of the program could occur. Originally, the Air Force had a minimum number of 144 jets to replace the F-15C/D force. Some of the Eagle units have switched to other platforms since then, but units that fly A-10s, F-16s, and even F-15Es could end up getting F-15EX if the service chooses to go such a route.

Moreover, Poland has emerged as another potential export customer for the F-15EX; Boeing is currently intent on ramping up F-15EX production to 24 aircraft annually. Between August and November of last year, deliveries were suspended due to production delays. The 16th F-15EX was delivered to the Air Force in December.

Whatever happens in terms of foreign sales, the future of the F-15EX with the U.S. Air Force looks increasingly bright.

Team Maverick.