US to deploy 48 F‑35A fighters to Japan amid security concerns
The Pentagon has confirmed the intention to deploy up to 48 F-35A fighters at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan. The decision aims to enhance deterrence capabilities in the region. The F-35A is one of the world's most modern and advanced combat aircraft.
Information about the planned movements at Misawa Air Base emerged more than a year and a half after it was announced that F-15 fighters stationed in Japan would gradually begin to return to the United States.
American F-35A to be stationed in Japan
It has now been clarified that they will be replaced by other F-15s, which will again arrive at Kadena Air Base at the southern end of the Japanese archipelago near Taiwan. The F-35A fighters will serve as additional forces and join the Japanese F-35A fighters already stationed at Misawa Air Base. This will be the first presence of American F-35As in the Indo-Pacific region.
The F-35A is a modern fifth-generation multi-role fighter developed by Lockheed Martin. It belongs to the CTOL (Conventional Take-off and Landing) class, meaning the aircraft has a conventional takeoff and landing method.
It is a single-seat aircraft with a length of over 15 metres and a wingspan exceeding 10 metres. It can travel at speeds of up to 1.6 Mach, which is about 2205 km/h. The range of this fighter is unlimited when considering its ability to refuel mid-air and no malfunctions. However, when limited to its built-in fuel tanks, it reaches about 2000 kilometres.
Its armament includes a five-barrel GAU-22/A cannon of 25 mm caliber, and it can also carry external armaments such as AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles or aircraft bombs. The F-35A is equipped with electronic warfare systems and technology to reduce the chance of being detected in flight.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Japanese government secretary, stated in an interview with local journalists that the modernization plan of U.S. forces comes at a time when Japan is facing the greatest and most complex security crisis since World War II. He referred to neighbouring countries that are "intensifying their military activities."
