Recently, stealth F-35A Lightning II fighters from the United States Air Force (USAF) landed at Kadena Air Base, Japan, as part of the process of replacing F-15C Eagles and strengthening deterrence capabilities in the Pacific. The total number of fifth-generation aircraft that arrived in Japan, as well as their arrival date, remains undisclosed, primarily for operational security reasons.

It is worth noting that Kadena is currently the USAF’s closest air base to Taiwan and has historically served as one of the Japanese air bases hosting U.S. Air Force aircraft. However, in August of last year, the Air Force announced progress in retiring F-15C fighters, projecting their future replacement with the new F-15EX.

This retirement process and subsequent replacement were announced by the Air Force in October 2022, stating that it would gradually withdraw its F-15C/D fighters from Kadena over the next two years without an immediate replacement. Later, in July of last year, the Pentagon announced that the permanent replacement for the 48 F-15C/D aircraft of the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons in Okinawa would be 36 F-15EX fighters. However, the spokesperson for the 18th Wing noted that the governments “have not yet agreed on a timeline for the arrival of the F-15EX.”

Meanwhile, according to a series of photographs published by the 67th Aircraft Maintenance Unit in December 2024, the U.S. Air Force titled a gallery “The Last Eagle,” indicating that an F-15C Eagle was ready to depart Kadena, suggesting that the retirement plan was nearing completion.

The recently arrived F-35As in Japan belong to the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron of the Vermont Air National Guard, which will integrate with the F-22 Raptors of the 525th EFS and the F-16C Fighting Falcons of the 77th EFS. With their arrival, the United States aims to maintain and strengthen combat capabilities while supporting deterrence in the Asian theater and the objectives of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

It is notable that the arrival of these fighters is part of a routine rotation that ensures the 18th Wing remains flexible while remaining prepared to provide credible air capability to defend Japan. In November 2024, the U.S. Air Force deployed its latest batch of F-35As to join F-16 fighters from Shaw Air Force Base and F-22s from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

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