Air Force base in Japan activates maintenance squadron for new F-35 fleet

A U.S. Air Force base in northeastern Japan activated a new maintenance squadron this month to support its growing fleet of F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters as the installation phases out its F-16s.

Maj. Alex Carmona assumed command of Misawa Air Base’s 35th Air Maintenance Squadron during a July 17 activation ceremony, according to an unsigned email Friday from the 35th Fighter Wing.

The squadron is responsible for maintaining the wing’s newly arrived fifth-generation fighters and consolidates two existing maintenance organizations under a single command.

The 13th and 14th Fighter Generation Squadrons were redesignated as the 13th and 14th Aircraft Maintenance Units and now fall under the new squadron, the wing said.

The activation is the latest step in Misawa’s transition from the F-16 Fighting Falcon to the F-35A. The wing unveiled its first Lightning II on April 24 after the aircraft began arriving in March.

The F-35As will assume the wing’s “Wild Weasel” mission of finding and suppressing enemy air defenses while supporting regional deterrence and combat operations, the wing said.

The maintenance squadron’s patch reflects that heritage, depicting a weasel holding a wrench beneath the words “Home of the Wild Weasels.”

The Air Force stands up the 35th Air Maintenance Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan, July 17, 2026. (U.S. Air Force)

Misawa also activated the 35th Munitions Squadron last year to maintain and deliver weapons for the F-35A fleet.

The installation is the first U.S. air base in the Western Pacific to receive permanently assigned F-35As, according to a June 2025 wing news release. The aircraft are arriving as part of a $10 billion Pentagon plan announced in 2024 to modernize U.S. tactical aviation forces stationed in Japan.

The Air Force’s F-35A is the conventional takeoff-and-landing version of the Lightning II. The Marine Corps operates the F-35B, which is capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, while the Navy’s F-35C is designed for aircraft carriers.

The F-35 offers greater stealth, range and payload capacity than the F-16s it is replacing at Misawa.

The 35th Fighter Wing transferred several upgraded F-16s to Osan Air Base, South Korea, last year as it prepared for the new aircraft. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force has operated its own F-35A at Misawa since 2018.