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Air Force

Budd And Shaheen Bill Would Authorize 329 F-15EX Fighters

Frank Wolfe

Friday, April 24th, 2026

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Budd And Shaheen Bill Would Authorize 329 F-15EX Fighters

Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of an F-15EX Eagle II landing at Kadena Air Base, Japan on July 16, 2025. The plane is with the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., according to the Air Force.

Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), have introduced the Airpower Acceleration Act, which would authorize multi-year procurements of the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 and the Boeing [BA] F-15EX fighters and allow a buy of 329 F-15EXs versus the 129 that the Air Force had planned before this month's release of the fiscal 2027 budget. Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)--the chairman of SASC's airland panel, Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Angus King…

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