In recent days, it has been reported that F-15C fighters from the U.S. Air Force have departed from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, as part of the process to advance the replacement of these aircraft with the new F-15EX. With this deployment, only a few Eagles remain on the island after 40 years of being at the forefront of the U.S. Air Force in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The departure of the four units marks just a milestone on the path towards replacing the F-15C Eagles and the beginning of a new era of air superiority with the F-15EX Eagle II,” stated the 18th Wing of Kadena in a recent press release.
Regarding the units that have departed, the 18th Wing said that some will go to the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, while others “will be used at other Air Force units.” As for the remaining ones, the Wing has stated that the final flight of the remaining F-15C Eagles out of Kadena is still to be determined.
This withdrawal process and its subsequent replacement were announced by the Air Force in October 2022, which noted that it would gradually withdraw its F-15s from Kadena over the next two years without an immediate replacement at hand. However, in July of this year, the Pentagon announced that the permanent replacement for the 48 F-15C/Ds of the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons in Okinawa would be 36 F-15EX.
It is noteworthy that this project, set to be implemented in the coming years, involves over $10 billion in investments to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance. The withdrawal of the F-15C/D Eagles from Japan marks the end of a phase that began over 40 years ago when the then 18th Tactical Fighter Wing (now the 18th Wing) received its first F-15Cs on September 29, 1979.
A year later, considering the withdrawal, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) confirmed the first deployment of F-16 fighters as a provisional replacement for the F-15s, which was later augmented with the deployment of F-22 Raptors in May 2024. Additionally, it is mentioned that at Misawa Air Base, where there are currently 36 F-16 fighters, as well as F-15C/D Eagles, they will be replaced by 48 F-35As to improve tactical capability.
It is also worth noting that the production of the new F-15EX Eagle II fighter-bombers is handled by Boeing Defense, which has so far delivered a total of six units, two of which were delivered in June to the Portland Air National Guard Base in Oregon. The expected date to equip Kadena with the F-15EX is 2026.
Initially, the Air Force planned to acquire a fleet of 144 F-15EX aircraft, but the Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposed reducing the number to just 98. However, Congress may decide differently: the House Armed Services Committee, in its version of the 2025 budget, has ordered the purchase of 24 additional aircraft, raising the total fleet to 122 Eagle IIs. This budget still needs to be reviewed and approved by Congress.
Finally, the U.S. Air Force has so far retired 105 F-15C/Ds, and if Congress permits, it will retire another 77 next year, Voorhis noted.
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