Through a brief statement published on social media yesterday, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force announced that its F-15J fighters had completed a historic visit to the U.S. and Canada, the first in 71 years since the institution’s founding, aimed at strengthening cooperation with regional counterparts. This marked a stopover in the long journey that will take the Japanese aircraft to RAF Coningsby in the United Kingdom, after which they will continue on to Laage Air Base in Germany.
Expanding on the details, the deployment—known as Atlantic Eagles—involves a total of four F-15Js that departed from Chitose Air Base on the island of Hokkaido, accompanied by three additional aircraft flying in parallel in case one of the main group experienced technical issues and needed to return to base during the first phase of the deployment. Local observers also reported the takeoff of Kawasaki C-2 transport aircraft, as well as KC-46 Pegasus and KC-767 tankers providing support for the mission.
It should be recalled that this deployment of Japanese fighters to the United Kingdom was recently agreed upon during a high-level meeting between British Defence Secretary John Healey and his Japanese counterpart, Nakatani Gen, held aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. The Royal Navy’s flagship was visiting Tokyo as part of a broader carrier strike group deployment known as Operation Highmast, during which it exercised with various allied forces in the Indo-Pacific region.
Notably, the F-15Js were even involved in exercises coordinated from the British carrier while it operated in the Sea of Japan. The occasion stood out as another example of the growing defense ties between the two countries, and it also provided an opportunity for the Japanese fighters to operate alongside the country’s new F-35As and the F-35Bs from the HMS Prince of Wales’s embarked air wing.
Finally, it is important to note that while this is a significant deployment for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, it is not intended as a major exercise to train personnel in long-range combat missions, but rather as a liaison trip aimed at strengthening ties between Tokyo and its various allies. In this regard, local reports indicate that the flight schedule will remain limited to transits and short stopovers.
Image credits: @JASDF_PAO_ENG on X
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AloJapan.com