After 45 years of uninterrupted operations, the United States Air Force (USAF) has officially retired its last operational F-15C Eagle fighter jets, which were stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The news was confirmed by the 18th Wing, which stated that the final Eagle completed its last flight in January of this year, marking the end of an era for the air superiority aircraft that played a key role in maintaining the U.S. military’s presence and deterrence capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Since 2022, Kadena had been progressively phasing out its F-15C/D fighters under the aircraft replacement program, which seeks to introduce the new F-15EX Eagle II in response to growing modernization needs amid an increasingly tense regional environment. This transition culminated on January 24, when the last active-duty F-15C of the U.S. Air Force made its final flight, concluding the withdrawal of 48 fighters from the Japanese base. On the same day, Kadena activated the 67th Fighter Generation Squadron and deactivated the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Unit.
So far, no official information has been released regarding the number of F-15C/D aircraft that remain at the base, with the 18th Wing citing security concerns. However, it is known that some of the aircraft have been sent to the “Boneyard” – as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, is commonly known – while others have been reassigned to different units of the U.S. Air National Guard.
With this retirement, Kadena is expecting the arrival of a new fleet of 36 F-15EX Eagle II fighters, scheduled to be delivered between March and June 2026. In the meantime, the U.S. Air Force has been deploying rotational detachments of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters—including the F-15E, F-16, F-35, and F-22—to supplement and reinforce the country’s presence at a base considered strategically important due to its location in Asia. These rotations will continue until the three dozen Eagle IIs are delivered and full operational capability is achieved.
The most recent deployment occurred in early April, when Kadena Air Base received an undisclosed number of F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters and F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bombers. The F-35As come from the 355th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (355th EFS) based at Eielson AFB, Alaska, while the F-15Es are from the 336th EFS stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina.
Regarding the current status of the F-15EX Eagle II program, Boeing is reportedly close to delivering the first aircraft from Production Lot 2 to the U.S. Air Force. This will follow the eight aircraft delivered in 2024 under Lots 1A and 1B. As previously reported, six of those F-15EXs were assigned to the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing. Last year, the Portland Air National Guard became the first unit to receive operational F-15EX aircraft—marking the first time that a new fighter type was delivered to the Air National Guard before entering service with the active-duty force. Notably, the U.S. Air Force plans to acquire up to 104 of these new fighters.
You may also like: The U.S. Air Force’s VENOM Program advances in modifying the latest F-16s for Autonomous Flight
