Boeing Defense

The fighters and rotorcraft of Boeing's defense arm, from the resurgent F-15EX to the Apache and the Chinook.
By Clement Charpentreau
✓ Verified against manufacturer & regulator data
Air superiority and strike fighter (4th generation)

F-15Family
The undefeated heavyweight of air combat, reborn as the F-15EX: the US Air Force now plans up to 267 of the new Eagle II.
Attack helicopter

AH-64 ApacheFamily
The definitive Western attack helicopter: more than 2,700 delivered since 1984 and still in production for a growing list of nations.
Carrier-based multirole fighter (4.5 generation)

F/A-18 Super HornetFamily
The US Navy's carrier backbone for two decades, now approaching the end of its production run with final deliveries due by 2027.
Heavy-lift helicopter

CH-47 ChinookFamily
The tandem-rotor heavy lifter that has served for over 60 years, with the US Army planning to fly Chinooks until 2060.

Boeing Defense, Space & Security is the defense arm of the Boeing Company, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Its combat aircraft lineage runs through the 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas, which brought the F-15 and F/A-18 lines in St. Louis, Missouri, and the 1984 acquisition of Hughes Helicopters, origin of the AH-64 Apache built in Mesa, Arizona.

The fiscal 2027 budget request turned the division's fighter business from managed decline into growth: the planned F-15EX fleet more than doubled to 267 aircraft, selling out the St. Louis line into the mid-2030s, while F/A-18 Super Hornet production ends with final deliveries by 2027 under a March 2024 contract for a last 17 jets. The CH-47 Chinook, in production in Philadelphia since 1961, is contracted through Block II upgrades and a 60-aircraft German order signed in 2023.

Boeing Defense at a glance
Formed
1997 (Boeing + McDonnell Douglas merger)
Heritage
Boeing 1916, McDonnell 1939, Douglas 1921, Hughes Helicopters 1934
Headquarters
Arlington, Virginia, USA
Aircraft divisions
Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Flagship programme
F-15EX Eagle II
Key plants
St. Louis, Mesa, Philadelphia

Frequently asked questions

What fighters does Boeing build today?

The F-15EX Eagle II, whose planned US Air Force fleet was more than doubled to 267 aircraft in the fiscal 2027 budget, and the F/A-18 Super Hornet, whose production ends with final deliveries in 2027.

Where do Boeing's defense aircraft come from historically?

Mostly from McDonnell Douglas, merged into Boeing in 1997, which developed the F-15 and F/A-18, and from Hughes Helicopters, creator of the AH-64 Apache.

Is the Apache still in production?

Yes. More than 2,700 Apaches have been delivered, and orders such as Poland's for 96 AH-64Es keep the Mesa line busy into the 2030s.