Japanese F-15J fighter jets to UK and Germany mark a new step in nippon international cooperation strategy
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Japan’s Ministry of Defense said on 12 September that it will send Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets to Europe and Canada for the first time. The mission is framed as a goodwill and training deployment. Four F-15J Eagles from Chitose Air Base will stage through North America before heading to the United Kingdom and Germany, then retrace their steps in early October. These are twin-engine, twin-tail air superiority fighters that form the backbone of Japan’s quick reaction alert. In routine service, they carry a mix of AAM-4 medium-range missiles, AAM-5 short-range missiles, and a 20 mm internal gun. For a ferry mission, the pylons wear tanks rather than heavy ordnance, but the aircraft remain combat credible if they need to swap loads at a host base.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Japan’s F-15J fighters are twin-engine air superiority aircraft built by Mitsubishi, equipped with modern AESA radar, advanced electronic warfare systems, and armed with AAM-4 medium-range and AAM-5 short-range missiles along with a 20 mm Vulcan gun, forming the backbone of the nation’s air defense (Picture source: Japanese Ministry of Defense).
The jets are expected to route Chitose to Eielson in Alaska, then Goose Bay in Canada, then across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom and onward to Germany’s Laage air base. Each leg is short enough to manage fuel margins and weather, and long enough to keep the deployment efficient. Tankers and transports make the operation possible. Japan now fields KC-46A Pegasus and KC-767 tankers, both capable of matching the F-15’s receptacle, with Kawasaki C-2 transports hauling spares and ground power units.
The F-15J is Mitsubishi-built from the classic Eagle design and has been progressively modernized. A number of airframes are being upgraded to a Japanese Super Interceptor standard that swaps the old mechanically scanned radar for an active electronically scanned array of the APG-82 class, adds a new mission computer and a modern electronic warfare suite, and expands carriage for contemporary beyond visual range weapons. Those upgrades allow better detection range, resistance to jamming, and the ability to manage multiple engagements in cluttered airspace.
Weapons integration keeps pace with the avionics. The AAM-4 series, often compared in concept to AMRAAM, gives the F-15J a reliable active radar option at medium and long range, while the AAM-5 provides an imaging infrared seeker for close-in maneuvering fights. The JM61A1 six-barrel gun remains on the nose for the last resort or for training, where missiles would be overkill. On this trip, the missiles are not the point but fuel is. The jets carry external tanks and rely on tanker brackets along the route. That mix of internal and external fuel plus scheduled refueling windows lets crews cope with headwinds, diversions, and the usual string of minor delays that accumulate during oceanic crossings.
The deployment is a rehearsal for crews to practice oceanic clearances, long-range communications handoffs, and tanker rendezvous in different weather and light conditions. Maintenance teams learn which spares they should have packed and which they can do without, which bits of ground equipment fail at the worst moments, and how to work with host nation supply chains when something breaks on arrival. They will practice plug-and-play with allied data links, compare air policing procedures with RAF and Luftwaffe squadrons, and likely fly local sorties that look mundane on paper yet reveal dozens of small differences in tactics and checklists. Those small differences are exactly what deployments like this are meant to surface and fix. There is also a training dividend for the hosts. A visiting Japanese detachment brings a different radar, a different cockpit workflow, and different habits to the briefing room. The conversations around tanker timing, quick reaction alert standards, and frequency management are low risk and useful.
Tokyo has spent the past few years saying the security of the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic is connected. This deployment turns that line into practice. European air forces have flown to Japan before, British and German fighters have exercised in the region and carriers have trained with Japan’s F-35B helicopter destroyers. This time, Japan is returning the visit with its own fighters. That reciprocity matters, it shows that Tokyo can plug into Western airpower networks beyond the Pacific, not just with staff talks or transport aircraft but with combat jets that can deploy, sustain, and integrate.
Japanese scrambles have long been a barometer of regional pressure, and combined Chinese-Russian bomber patrols keep that pressure up. Europe remains focused on the war in Ukraine, with attention on air defense depth and munitions stockpiles. Canada’s inclusion nods to NORAD, the Arctic, and the simple geographic fact that the shortest bridge between Asia and Europe often runs through North America. A four-jet trip will not change any balance of power, but it normalizes habits of cooperation, mapping the route for future joint operations.
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Japan’s Ministry of Defense said on 12 September that it will send Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets to Europe and Canada for the first time. The mission is framed as a goodwill and training deployment. Four F-15J Eagles from Chitose Air Base will stage through North America before heading to the United Kingdom and Germany, then retrace their steps in early October. These are twin-engine, twin-tail air superiority fighters that form the backbone of Japan’s quick reaction alert. In routine service, they carry a mix of AAM-4 medium-range missiles, AAM-5 short-range missiles, and a 20 mm internal gun. For a ferry mission, the pylons wear tanks rather than heavy ordnance, but the aircraft remain combat credible if they need to swap loads at a host base.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Japan’s F-15J fighters are twin-engine air superiority aircraft built by Mitsubishi, equipped with modern AESA radar, advanced electronic warfare systems, and armed with AAM-4 medium-range and AAM-5 short-range missiles along with a 20 mm Vulcan gun, forming the backbone of the nation’s air defense (Picture source: Japanese Ministry of Defense).
The jets are expected to route Chitose to Eielson in Alaska, then Goose Bay in Canada, then across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom and onward to Germany’s Laage air base. Each leg is short enough to manage fuel margins and weather, and long enough to keep the deployment efficient. Tankers and transports make the operation possible. Japan now fields KC-46A Pegasus and KC-767 tankers, both capable of matching the F-15’s receptacle, with Kawasaki C-2 transports hauling spares and ground power units.
The F-15J is Mitsubishi-built from the classic Eagle design and has been progressively modernized. A number of airframes are being upgraded to a Japanese Super Interceptor standard that swaps the old mechanically scanned radar for an active electronically scanned array of the APG-82 class, adds a new mission computer and a modern electronic warfare suite, and expands carriage for contemporary beyond visual range weapons. Those upgrades allow better detection range, resistance to jamming, and the ability to manage multiple engagements in cluttered airspace.
Weapons integration keeps pace with the avionics. The AAM-4 series, often compared in concept to AMRAAM, gives the F-15J a reliable active radar option at medium and long range, while the AAM-5 provides an imaging infrared seeker for close-in maneuvering fights. The JM61A1 six-barrel gun remains on the nose for the last resort or for training, where missiles would be overkill. On this trip, the missiles are not the point but fuel is. The jets carry external tanks and rely on tanker brackets along the route. That mix of internal and external fuel plus scheduled refueling windows lets crews cope with headwinds, diversions, and the usual string of minor delays that accumulate during oceanic crossings.
The deployment is a rehearsal for crews to practice oceanic clearances, long-range communications handoffs, and tanker rendezvous in different weather and light conditions. Maintenance teams learn which spares they should have packed and which they can do without, which bits of ground equipment fail at the worst moments, and how to work with host nation supply chains when something breaks on arrival. They will practice plug-and-play with allied data links, compare air policing procedures with RAF and Luftwaffe squadrons, and likely fly local sorties that look mundane on paper yet reveal dozens of small differences in tactics and checklists. Those small differences are exactly what deployments like this are meant to surface and fix. There is also a training dividend for the hosts. A visiting Japanese detachment brings a different radar, a different cockpit workflow, and different habits to the briefing room. The conversations around tanker timing, quick reaction alert standards, and frequency management are low risk and useful.
Tokyo has spent the past few years saying the security of the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic is connected. This deployment turns that line into practice. European air forces have flown to Japan before, British and German fighters have exercised in the region and carriers have trained with Japan’s F-35B helicopter destroyers. This time, Japan is returning the visit with its own fighters. That reciprocity matters, it shows that Tokyo can plug into Western airpower networks beyond the Pacific, not just with staff talks or transport aircraft but with combat jets that can deploy, sustain, and integrate.
Japanese scrambles have long been a barometer of regional pressure, and combined Chinese-Russian bomber patrols keep that pressure up. Europe remains focused on the war in Ukraine, with attention on air defense depth and munitions stockpiles. Canada’s inclusion nods to NORAD, the Arctic, and the simple geographic fact that the shortest bridge between Asia and Europe often runs through North America. A four-jet trip will not change any balance of power, but it normalizes habits of cooperation, mapping the route for future joint operations.
