$10bn modernisation plan for US DoD aircraft in Japan
The US Department of Defense (DoD) is to deploy a multitude of additional aircraft to Japan in a $10bn modernisation plan, part of a strategic update for tactical assets across multiple military installations.
Working in close coordination with the Government of Japan, the DoD will implement the upgrades – which reflect over $10 billion of capability investments – over “the next several years”.
With F-15EX and F-35 variants to replace their ageing counterparts in the region, the DoD’s plan to “station the Joint Force’s most advanced tactical aircraft in Japan demonstrates the ironclad commitment to the defense of Japan and both countries’ shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” adds the DoD.
Kadena Air Base (home to the USAF’s 18th Wing) will receive 36 F-15EX aircraft to replace the current 48 F-15C/Ds “as part of a planned divestment and modernization progress,” with the Joint Force to “continue to maintain a rotational presence” of both types through this transition.
Additionally, Misawa Air Base’s 35th Fighter Wing will replace its 36 F-16s with 48 F-35As, “leading to greater tactical airlift capacity and capability”. US Marine Corps at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni will also “modify the number of F-35B aircraft to support the Service’s force design modernization implementation”.
