Boeing was awarded a $8.6 billion contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to produce 25 F-15IA fighter jets for the Israeli Air Force, with an option to manufacture an additional 25 aircraft by December 31, 2035. The deal, processed through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, immediately obligated $840 million in funding. Work on the program will be carried out at Boeing’s St. Louis facilities and includes design, integration, instrumentation, testing, production and delivery services. This award reinforces Boeing’s leadership in the global fighter-jet market and broadens its backlog of defense orders into the mid-2030s.

In year-end trading on December 30, Boeing shares rose approximately 0.8%, outperforming other industrial stocks as major U.S. indexes hovered near record levels. The S&P 500 edged lower by 0.13%, while the Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average each eased by around 0.2%. Investors rotated toward industrial names following consecutive years of strong returns in growth sectors, viewing Boeing’s sizeable defense contract as a stabilizing revenue stream. Analysts note that sustained Pentagon spending and a healthy defense backlog could support Boeing’s free cash flow and margin profile through 2026, even as commercial air travel demand normalizes.