Fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighters began arriving at an airbase in Japan

The replacement for the fourth-generation F-15 Eagle fighters was not long in coming and has already started arriving on the Japanese island of Okinawa, where Kadena Air Base is located.

Here's What We Know

At the end of October, the U.S. Department of Defense decided to withdraw the F-15 Eagle aircraft from Kadena Air Base. The Air Force keeps about five dozen fighters in Japan. They will be replaced by fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighters. And the first aircraft have already begun to arrive.

The Pentagon has said it will continue to maintain a permanent presence at Caden by temporarily deploying newer and more modern aircraft to replace the F-15s as the Eagle returns back to the United States. The DOD plans to remove the 44th and 67th Squadron fighters from the airbase within two years. On Nov. 4, the first F-22 Raptor aircraft, which had previously been based at Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base in Alaska, landed in Japan.

By the middle of the month, the United States will move a total of a dozen fifth-generation fighters to Okinawa Island. Approximately the same number of F-15 Eagle fighters will be sent to the United States. At the same time, it is not yet known whether the Pentagon is considering placing fighters in Japan on a permanent basis. Applicants could be F-35A Lightning II or F-15EX Eagle II.

Source: Defense Brief

Image: Military