An Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration. (photo credit: AMIR COHEN – REUTERS)
On March 15, US Central Command (CENTCOM) head Gen. Frank McKenzie revealed that the US is planning to approve the sale of F-15 fighter jets to Egypt.
The commander told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the impending deal for the jets followed a drawn-out process.
“In the case of Egypt, I think we have good news in that we’re going to provide them with F-15s, which was a long, hard slog,” Gen. McKenzie said. “They felt it was too long, it took too long.”
Gen. McKenzie didn’t provide further details on the deal, which is yet to be officially announced by the Department of State.
The proposed deal will not likely pass the Senate with ease. Some lawmakers may attempt to block the sale over concerns on the status of human rights in Egypt under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi who rose to power after the 2013 revolution.
Recently, there was an attempt by lawmakers, led by Senator Rand Paul, to block a $2.2 billion sale of a dozen C-130J cargo planes to Egypt.
There is no information on which variant of the F-15 could be sold to Egypt. The twin-engine multirole fighter, which is now being produced by Boeing, will be a major addition to the Egyptian Air Force that needs more heavy fighters. Currently, the spine of the EAF is the Lockheed Martin F-16 single-engine fighter.
Despite facing much pressure from Washington over domestic issues, Egypt will likely continue to seek the US help to modernize its military.
F-15A , at the price of F-15EX ???
It’s simple: if the US doesn’t sell them planes, the Russians or Chinese will.