Kadena Expands its Fighter Fleet with New F-16 and F-22 Aircraft, Some F-15s Retained | News

Fresh F-22 and F-16 fighter jets arrived at Kadena Air Base, Japan, this previous weekend as the important thing Pacific base phases out its few remaining F-15C Eagles. 

The F-16s are from the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. The F-22s are from the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. 

In addition to the incoming fighters, F-22s from the twenty seventh Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Joint Base Langly-Eustis, Va., stay on the base. 

Kadena continues to carry onto some F-15Cs—a staple of the set up for the reason that late Seventies—that are nearing the tip of their lifespan.

Stars and Stripes first reported the brand new fighters’ arrival. A spokeswoman for Kadena’s 18th Wing confirmed their presence to Air & Space Forces Magazine and additionally confirmed that “there are F-15C Eagles remaining at Kadena as they wait to be phased out.” 

A U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptor, assigned to the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska, takes off throughout a short lived deployment at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 10, 2024. The transition to extra fashionable plane at Kadena exemplifies the U.S. Air Force’s continued dedication to enhancing posture and constructing on the robust basis of the U.S.-Japan alliance. (U.S. Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Luis E. Rios Calderon)

A U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon, assigned to the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., takes off throughout its first flight throughout a short lived deployment at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 9, 2024. The transition to extra fashionable plane at Kadena exemplifies the U.S. Air Force’s continued dedication to enhancing posture and constructing on the robust basis of the U.S.-Japan alliance. (U.S. Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Catherine Daniel)

A U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptor, assigned to the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska, takes off throughout a short lived deployment at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 10, 2024. The transition to extra fashionable plane at Kadena exemplifies the U.S. Air Force’s continued dedication to enhancing posture and constructing on the robust basis of the U.S.-Japan alliance. (U.S. Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Luis E. Rios Calderon)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Jacob Heydinger, 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron pilot, prepares for a flight on a F-22A Raptor at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 10, 2024. The transition to extra fashionable plane at Kadena exemplifies the U.S. Air Force’s continued dedication to enhancing posture and constructing on the robust basis of the U.S.-Japan alliance. (U.S. Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Luis E. Rios Calderon)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Kayla Vohs, 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron pilot, performs pre-flight checks earlier than her first flight throughout a short lived deployment at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 9, 2024. The U.S. Air Force deploys its most superior capabilities to the Indo-Pacific area to indicate a continued dedication to regional stability and safety. (U.S. Air Force photograph by Airman Arnet Tamayo)

U.S. Air Force Maj. James Gregory, 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron weapons officer, performs pre-flight checks on a U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon, assigned to the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 9, 2024. The transition to extra fashionable plane at Kadena exemplifies the U.S. Air Force’s continued dedication to enhancing posture and constructing on the robust basis of the U.S.-Japan alliance. (U.S. Air Force photograph Airman 1st Class Catherine Daniel)

Kadena’s growing old F-15Cs have been slowly leaving the bottom for months following the Air Force’s resolution in October 2022 to part the fleet out and quickly exchange it with a rotation of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters.

The 18th Wing has persistently refused to reveal what number of F-15Cs stay at Kadena, citing operational safety considerations. In August, nevertheless, it did observe the departure of a four-ship of Eagles as a “milestone” within the drawdown. 

Service officers have declined to say when the final F-15C will depart. 

Kadena is anticipated to finally welcome 36 F-15EX fighters because the everlasting substitute for the F-15Cs, half of a bigger power restructuring on Japan that can see F-35s go to Misawa Air Base. The new F-15EXs will boast further weapon stations, new digital warfare suites, fly-by-wire flight controls, a much more highly effective set of processors, and new cockpit shows. The notional date for totally equipping Kadena with the F-15EX is 2026. 

“There will be some learning as it comes to putting a new platform into these environments and we’ll probably learn a few lessons about the capabilities of the F-15EX,” Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kevin B. Schnider advised Air & Space Forces Magazine final month. “I don’t think it’s going to be a significant transition at all to bring a new platform into Kadena just because the people that are operating that platform already know the business.”

The Air Force’s closest base to the island of Taiwan, Kadena is taken into account a key strategic location for the U.S. in its competitors with China and has hosted a steady cycle of fighters previously two years. Most not too long ago, F-22s from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, departed after a six-month rotation on the base. 

The Air Force’s fighter fleet as a complete faces heavy demand as of late. Additional F-15s, F-16s, and A-10s are deploying to the Middle East amid rising pressure between Israel and Iran, whereas squadrons of jets are extending their deployments to bolster U.S. airpower within the area.