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Boeing Co. announced July 13 that it had landed a $1.2 billion deal with the U.S. Air Force for eight F-15EX fighter jets. The deal is a boost for the Chicago, Illinois-based aerospace manufacturer, which in recent months has endured a sharp contraction in demand for new planes from airliners struggling due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

According to a statement from Boeing, the planes are “already under construction” in Boeing’s St. Louis production plant. The new F-15EX fighter jets will replace the oldest F-15s still in the U.S. Air Force’s arsenal. In addition to the order of eight new planes, the Air Force says it has requested 12 more for its financial-year 2021 budget, and a total of 76 planes over a five-year period, as part of its “Future Years Defense Program.” Boeing, in a statement, said that future plans could include as many as 144 aircraft.

“The F-15EX is the most affordable and immediate way to refresh the capacity and update the capabilities provided by our aging F-15C/D fleets,” said General Mike Holmes, commander of Air Combat Command. Gen. Holmes said that bases currently operating different F-15 models would transition to the new EX planes within a matter of months. “The F-15EX is ready to fight as soon as it comes off the line,” he said.

The biggest difference between the newer plane and older models of the F-15 fighter jet, according to the Air Force, is its use of an Open Mission Systems architecture, which allows it to adapt to cutting-edge aircraft technologies. The jet, according to Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and logistics, is “designed to evolve.”

The defense deals, and assurance of more to come, is likely to be a welcome respite for Boeing. The commercial arm of the aerospace giant has been battered by sustained fallout from 2018’s 737 MAX 8 scandal, which revealed that faulty software and questionable safety oversight led to two of the planes falling form the sky shortly after takeoff. In a statement released July 1, the FAA verified that the updated plane had completed its recertification flights.

Boeing’s current CEO, Dave Calhoun, came to office in January aiming for a midsummer return to service for the plane before the novel coronavirus forced Boeing to temporarily shut down production nationwide, crushed demand for commercial aircraft to almost nil and caused airliners to cancel hundreds of orders. The economic fallout has since driven the company to downsize its entire operations by 10% and up to 15% in commercial airlines specifically.