This past Saturday, July 12, the U.S. Air Force announced that its new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets have been deployed for the first time in Japan, specifically following the arrival of the aircraft at Kadena Air Base to begin the integration process with the units already stationed there. In particular, these are two fighter jets belonging to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, which is based at Eglin Air Force Base, located in Florida.
According to the official statement released by the institution, the deployment of these first two units will be brief, intended to prepare Kadena Air Base and its personnel to operate alongside the fleet of F-15EX fighters expected to arrive during the coming year. As expressed by Brigadier General Nicholas Evans: “Bringing the F-15EX here offers our pilots and maintainers the opportunity to train in the environment where they will operate it daily. This visit ensures that we can seamlessly integrate the aircraft into our mission sets and maintain the airpower advantage required in this region.”
It is worth recalling in this regard that the arrival of the new fighters is part of the air capability modernization plan undertaken by the institution to strengthen its presence in the Indo-Pacific, which in concrete terms means replacing the old fleet of F-15C/D jets with the more modern EX variant. As early as August 2024, the U.S. Air Force had already withdrawn most of the 48 aircraft it had stationed in Okinawa, with plans to replace them with 36 F-15EX fighters.
Along those lines, it is useful to note that the decision to replace the older F-15C/Ds was announced in coordination with the Japanese government in July 2024, stating that the new aircraft represented a significant technological leap to better address the challenges of an increasingly tense Indo-Pacific. Until the full replacement process is completed—and given that the F-15C/Ds have already been withdrawn from Kadena Air Base—the U.S. Air Force will maintain a rotation of F-16s, F-15Es, F-22s, and F-35As deployed there, thus avoiding any capability gaps.
Image credits: Airman Xavier Romero
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