Alsalam awarded $59.7M contract for Saudi F-15 upgrades

July 25 (UPI) -- Alsalam Aerospace Industries has received a $59.7 million contract for the upgrade of six Saudi F-15S aircraft to the newer F-15SA configuration.

The contract, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, enables the continued shift to the F-15SA, which at the time of its debut was called one of the most advanced F-15 variant ever built.

The F-15 Eagle is a single-seat all-weather air superiority tactical fighter jet used by the U.S. Air Force and many allied nations. It is highly maneuverable and is capable of reaching speeds more than twice the speed of sound. It's first flight was in 1972 and the first active aircraft were delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 1979.

The F-15 has been upgraded many times and been developed into several variants, including the two-seat F-15E Strike Eagle designed for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

The F-15S, the first Saudi-specific variant, is one of the primary fighter aircraft of the Royal Saudi Air Force. The F-15SA variant of the plane is considered the most advanced version of the F-15 so far produced. It has upgraded avionics, electronics warfare systems and a greater payload.

Services provided by Alsalam will include program management, conversion and storage.

Work on the contract will be performed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is expected to be completed by August 3, 2020. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $17.8 million were obligated to the company at the time of award.