Through a brief statement published on its social media yesterday, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force announced that its F-15J fighters had arrived in Germany after completing their visit to the United Kingdom, continuing the Atlantic Eagles deployment aimed at strengthening Tokyo’s ties with its key global allies. The aircraft specifically landed in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region, where they were received by German Eurofighters and the Chief of the German Air Force, Lieutenant General Holger Neumann.
Expanding on the details, the visit of the Japanese fighters to German territory saw them land at Laage Air Base, marking the first time such an event has taken place. They were welcomed by German fighters from Tactical Wing 73 “Steinhoff,” whose personnel also organized the reception for their Japanese counterparts on the ground. In this way, Atlantic Eagles enters its fourth stop since beginning on September 14, having previously taken the unit through the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom before reaching Germany; the last stop planned before the long deployment concludes with their return to Japan.
The visit represents, in the view of both air forces, a strengthening of a cooperative relationship that dates back decades. One such example occurred in 1968, when a Transall aircraft from the German Air Force’s Air Transport Wing 63 visited Japan to take part in that year’s International Air Show. More recently, German fighters passed through Tokyo on their return flight after taking part in the Rapid Pacific 2022 exercises.
In that same vein, during 2024 both forces participated in the multinational exercise Pacific Skies, which brought together around 140 aircraft from 20 countries with the aim of sending a message of commitment to Indo-Pacific security. Within that framework, a bilateral exercise between German and Japanese elements, known as Nippon Skies, was also conducted, further reinforcing the close ties between the two nations.
Finally, it is worth highlighting that the visit to Laage Air Base will allow Japanese personnel to become familiar with the procedures of one of the units assigned to the German Air Force’s Quick Reaction Alert system, which maintains a permanent detachment of two fighters ready to respond to potential threats to German and allied airspace under NATO. This entails, if necessary, the ability to operate beyond German borders in interception missions.
You may also like: Japan monitored for the first time the navigation of a Borei-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine of the Russian Navy in the Pacific
