A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II assigned to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 909th Air Refueling Squadron en route to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, June 29, 2026. (Dwane Young/U.S. Air Force)
An F-15EX Eagle II arrived at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa earlier this week for temporary training ahead of a contingent of permanently based aircraft due sometime next year, according to the 18th Wing.
The Eagle II from the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., arrived Monday alongside two of the squadron’s F-15E Strike Eagles for training and familiarization with local units, according to a wing news release that day.
“Building familiarity with the aircraft now will help ensure a smooth transition as the Eagle II becomes part of Kadena’s long-term mission and strengthens combat readiness across the Indo-Pacific,” squadron commander Lt. Col. Casey Watts said in the release.
The wing’s airmen will operate alongside the F-15EX “while strengthening integration across flying, maintenance, and support organizations during this short-term visit,” the release said. The visit will also help the local community prepare for the jets’ eventual arrival.
A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II assigned to 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., lands at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, June 29, 2026. (Gracelyn Hess/U.S. Air Force)
The Air Force announced plans in July 2024 to permanently station 36 of the multirole fighters with the 18th Wing on Okinawa to replace an aging fleet of 48 F-15C/D aircraft. The move is part of a broader effort to deploy more advanced combat aircraft across Japan.
“The F-15EX represents the next chapter of airpower at Kadena,” wing commander Brig. Gen. John Gallemore said in the release. “Our Airmen have the opportunity to train with the aircraft, build confidence in its capabilities and ensure we’re ready to project lethality and integrate into operations as we continue providing combat power in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Two aircraft with the test squadron made a similar training visit in July 2025.
The first Eagle IIs are expected sometime in 2027, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in testimony May 21 before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Meink’s spokeswoman, Ann Stefanek, said in an email Tuesday that she had nothing new to share about the aircraft’s arrival.
The Air Force in February delayed delivery of the multirole fighters due to a strike at Boeing’s St. Louis plant between Aug. 4 and Nov. 17. The aircraft were expected to arrive between March and June.
U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., climb down from an F-15EX Eagle II after arriving at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, June 29, 2026. (Mason Hargrove/U.S. Air Force)
The F-15EX is not stealthy but features next-generation avionics and networking capabilities and can fly faster, farther and carry a larger payload than earlier F-15 variants, according to Boeing.
The Air Force began rotating fighter squadrons to Kadena in late 2022 as it phased out its aging F-15C/D fleet. The rotations have included F-35A Lightning IIs, F-22 Raptors, F-15Es and F-16 Fighting Falcons.
Two F-22 squadrons — the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., and the 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska —– arrived at Kadena in May, according to the wing.
F-35As with the 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, are also operating at Kadena, the wing wrote in an unsigned email Wednesday. It declined to answer questions about the F-15EX training in a separate email, citing operational security.
