Boeing rolled out its newest F-15 variant, the F-15SA, which it is building for Saudi Arabia, announced the company. “We look forward to receiving the advanced capabilities of the F-15SA aircraft to continue to protect the security and stability of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Lt. Gen. Mohammed Bin Abdullah al Ayeesh, Royal Saudi Air Force commander, in the company’s release on April 30, the same day as the unveiling. The F-15SA, which includes two additional wing stations, is designed to offer improved performance and increased survivability at a lower lifecycle cost, states the release. Boeing is under contract to supply the Saudis with 84 new-build F-15SAs under a multi-billion-dollar foreign military sales contract. In March, Boeing announced the maiden test flight of the F-15SA. Delivery of the first airframe is scheduled in early 2015. The company is also upgrading 70 existing Saudi F-15S airplanes.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.