US Air Force 35th Fighter Wing In Japan Prepares For F-35s, Transfers F-16s To South Korea

The United States Air Force (USAF) just transferred an undisclosed number of F-16C/D Fighting Falcon fighter jets from Misawa Air Base in northern Japan to Osan Air Base to the south of Seoul, South Korea. The Lockheed Martin multi-role fighters are upgraded models that represent a force enhancement for Osan AB as they replace legacy F-15C/D Eagles and A-10 Warthogs.

Misawa AB is making room for incoming fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters. The USAF will acquire 42 new F-35A jets this year, according to the 2025 fleet procurement plans reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine. Legacy airframes will increasingly be pushed to secondary roles or divested the USAF pushes to modernize with new platforms like the F-35, F-47, and B-21.

Maintaining Air Superiority

The new F-16s will significantly modernize the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan AB. The transferred “Vipers,” as F-16s are also called, come equipped with the Post-Block Integration Team modernization package. The PoBIT includes an active electronically scanned array radar, a center display, and a host of other technologies that make the F-16 more flexible and more lethal on the battlefield.

A spokesperson for the 35th Fighter Wing told Air & Space Forces Magazine:

“The divestment of F-16s from the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base is part of the DOD’s planned modernization of tactical aircraft in Japan and the transformation of Misawa AB to a dedicated F-35 base. This transition underscores the U.S. commitment to maintaining air superiority in the Indo-Pacific region with the most advanced fighter aircraft. The forthcoming F-35 arrival at Misawa represents a significant enhancement to our capabilities, allowing us to project fifth-generation airpower and further strengthen our alliances in the region.”

Partners For Peace In The Pacific

The coming years will see a massive surge of stealth aircraft in the region as the Japanese Self-Defense Forces also have at least 127 F-35A and B models on the order books with Lockheed Martin. Japan will be the second-largest operator outside of the US, but in the Indo-Pacific sphere, the number is growing. Australia has ordered 100 so far, Singapore has purchased 20, and South Korea is procuring 60 as well.

The stealth fighters are crucial to deterrence as China grows increasingly bold and aggressive with naval and air force maneuvers on the high seas and international airspace. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and Navy (PLAN) have been building up their island outposts to accommodate more planes and ships. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is also pushing the development of more fifth-generation aircraft to complement its stealth Chengdu J-20 and possibly even carrier variants for its rapidly improving blue-water carrier fleet.

China’s aggressive activities are not limited to just remote reefs and the contested Senkaku Islands. PLAAF surveillance airplanes have violated Japanese airspace, and fighters have made unsafe maneuvers in attempts to crash US and other planes. Meanwhile, the PLAN intentionally steers in the path of American warships to cause accidents and parks big-deck aircraft carriers off the coast of Taiwan or Japan to conduct harassing flight ops.