US moves F-22 stealth fighters closer to China for faster combat response near Taiwan
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The United States has moved additional F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, as reported by Stars and Stripes on May 6, 2026, reinforcing the U.S. Air Force’s ability to respond rapidly to a potential crisis near Taiwan and the East China Sea. The deployment preserves continuous fifth-generation fighter coverage along China’s maritime periphery at a time when delays to the incoming F-15EX fleet are forcing Washington to rely on rotational stealth aircraft to sustain deterrence and combat readiness in the western Pacific.
The F-22 remains the U.S. Air Force’s premier air superiority fighter, designed to penetrate heavily defended airspace, defeat advanced enemy fighters, and secure air corridors during the opening phase of high-intensity conflict. Operating from Kadena places the aircraft within immediate reach of Taiwan and key East China Sea sectors, sharply reducing response times while enabling tighter integration with tankers, airborne warning aircraft, and reconnaissance assets needed for sustained high-tempo operations against China’s expanding missile and air defense networks.
Related topic: Discover why China bets on quantum radar to cancel the F-22 and F-35 stealth advantage
From Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, F-22s can reach Taiwan Strait operating areas in less than one hour, East China Sea intercept zones within minutes, and the Korean Peninsula without requiring tanker support. (Picture source: US Air Force)
As reported by Stars and Stripes on May 6, 2026, F-22 Raptors from the U.S. Air Force’s 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron reached Kadena Air Base during a period in which the base continues operating without permanently assigned fighter squadrons following the retirement of its 48 F-15C/D Eagles. Twelve Alaska-based F-22s reportedly arrived between May 3 and May 4, while additional Langley-based aircraft arrived separately, placing the total force likely between 12 and 24 aircraft, consistent with previous Kadena fighter rotations since 2022.
The deployment occurred immediately after the withdrawal of rotational F-35A detachments from Hill Air Force Base and Eielson Air Force Base, preventing a reduction in fifth-generation fighter presence at Okinawa. In July 2024, the U.S. Air Force selected the F-15EX Eagle II as Kadena’s long-term replacement aircraft, but planned deliveries of the 36 units between March and June 2026 slipped following production disruptions caused by the Boeing machinists’ strike in St. Louis between August and November 2025. By late April 2026, the U.S. Air Force had not released an updated delivery schedule, forcing Kadena to maintain temporary rotational deployments.
The 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron draws F-22s from the Alaska-based 3rd Wing, one of the service’s primary F-22 formations assigned to Pacific and Arctic contingency planning, while the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron originates from Langley’s 1st Fighter Wing, historically the first operational F-22 unit following the aircraft’s introduction into service in December 2005. Such deployments involve substantially more than aircraft alone because each F-22 detachment requires maintenance teams, avionics specialists, engine support personnel, deployable mission planning systems, secure communications architecture, spare propulsion modules, munitions crews, and specialized climate-controlled support infrastructure, necessary to sustain F-22 Raptor operations outside home stations.
Rotational deployments to Kadena also permit Pacific Air Forces to cycle fighters between Indo-Pacific, CENTCOM, and European operational demands without permanently assigning large portions of the limited F-22 fleet to a single theater. Maintaining continuous rotational presence at Kadena, therefore, allows Pacific Air Forces to preserve regional deterrence and operational responsiveness without permanently concentrating scarce fifth-generation assets on Okinawa. Kadena historically hosted the 44th Fighter Squadron and the 67th Fighter Squadron, equipped with F-15C/D Eagles, responsible for air defense operations covering southern Japan, the East China Sea, and approaches toward Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.
The withdrawal of the F-15C/D fleet began in late 2022 after decades of intensive operations produced increasing structural fatigue, rising sustainment costs, and declining survivability against modern Chinese integrated air defense systems. Since 2022, Kadena has hosted repeated rotations involving F-22A Raptors, F-35A Lightning II fighters, F-15E Strike Eagles, and F-16C/D Fighting Falcons, creating overlapping deployment cycles rather than a stable permanent force structure. The model aligns directly with the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine developed after the late 2010s, when the U.S. Air Force concluded that fixed forward air bases in the western Pacific faced increasing vulnerability to long-range missile strikes.
Under this concept, aircraft disperse across multiple operating locations, rotate more frequently between bases, and operate through shorter deployment cycles to complicate enemy targeting calculations during the opening stages of conflict. Kadena nevertheless remains indispensable despite this doctrinal shift because no alternative location in the First Island Chain combines comparable runway capacity, hardened infrastructure, logistics depth, munitions storage, command-and-control architecture, and proximity to likely operating areas near Taiwan and the East China Sea.
The delayed F-15EX transition has become one of the principal drivers behind continued rotational fighter deployments at Kadena because the Eagle II was originally intended to restore a permanent tactical aviation structure on Okinawa beginning in 2026. The F-15EX incorporates the AN/APG-82 AESA radar, EPAWSS electronic warfare suite, digital fly-by-wire controls, and the ability to carry large numbers of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles or long-range standoff weapons. Deliveries to Kadena were expected between March and June 2026, but the Boeing machinists’ strike affecting St. Louis production facilities between August and November 2025 disrupted manufacturing schedules across the F-15EX program and delayed aircraft acceptance timelines.
In practical terms, every month of delay in F-15EX deliveries increases reliance on rotational fifth-generation deployments to preserve sortie generation capacity and combat aircraft density near China’s maritime periphery. The F-22 remains the U.S. Air Force’s primary dedicated air superiority fighter despite the termination of production in 2011 after only 187 operational aircraft were built. The Raptor originated from the Advanced Tactical Fighter program initiated during the Cold War to counter the Su-27 and MiG-29, eventually entering operational service in December 2005 following extended development delays.
Unit procurement cost estimates are commonly placed near $143 million per aircraft, while export sales were prohibited because of restrictions surrounding stealth technology transfer. The F-22 can sustain supersonic flight above Mach 1.5 without afterburner use, reducing fuel consumption and infrared signature while its internal weapons bays permit carriage of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinders, and precision-guided air-to-ground munitions. Within Indo-Pacific operational planning, the aircraft’s principal functions include suppression of opposing fighter jets, escort of tankers and airborne warning aircraft, penetration of contested airspace defended by integrated missile systems, and creation of localized air superiority corridors during the opening phase of high-intensity conflict.
Kadena Air Base occupies one of the most strategically significant locations within the western Pacific, as the installation is located roughly 770 km from Shanghai, 650 km from the Chinese coastline, 750 km from Taiwan, and 1,500 km from the Korean Peninsula. This places fighter jets within immediate operational reach of the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait without requiring staging from Guam or continental U.S. bases. The base operates two parallel runways, both measuring 3,688 meters, allowing simultaneous fighter, tanker, reconnaissance, transport, and special operations activity during high sortie generation periods.
With more than 20,000 personnel, Kadena hosts one of the highest concentrations of U.S. Air Force enabling assets in the Indo-Pacific, including the 909th Air Refueling Squadron operating KC-135R tankers, the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron operating E-3 Sentry aircraft, the 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron operating RC-135 intelligence collection aircraft, the 353rd Special Operations Wing, and Patriot PAC-3 missile defense systems. Unlike smaller dispersal locations used under Agile Combat Employment concepts, Kadena already possesses hardened aircraft shelters, fuel storage infrastructure, maintenance hangars, munitions storage areas, command-and-control facilities, and secure communications systems capable of sustaining prolonged high-tempo combat air operations without extensive additional infrastructure investment.
From Okinawa, F-22s can reach operational sectors near the Taiwan Strait in less than one hour, intercept zones over the East China Sea within minutes, and airspace near the Korean Peninsula without immediate tanker dependency. Stationing fighters at Kadena, therefore, significantly reduces reliance on tanker bridges extending from Hawaii at roughly 6,400 km distance, Alaska at roughly 5,500 km distance, or continental U.S. bases located more than 10,000 km away from likely operating areas. Kadena also allows direct integration between F-22 fighters, KC-135 tankers, E-3 airborne battle management aircraft, and RC-135 intelligence collection platforms operating from the same installation, compressing the sensor-to-shooter cycle during high-tempo operations.
Compared with operations launched from Guam, located roughly 2,500 km from Taiwan, Kadena reduces the F-22 transit time by several hours while increasing potential sortie generation rates during the opening phase of a conflict. At the same time, Kadena remains highly vulnerable to the Chinese PLA Rocket Force, capable of targeting Okinawa with DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles, DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and CJ-series land-attack cruise missiles.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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The United States has moved additional F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, as reported by Stars and Stripes on May 6, 2026, reinforcing the U.S. Air Force’s ability to respond rapidly to a potential crisis near Taiwan and the East China Sea. The deployment preserves continuous fifth-generation fighter coverage along China’s maritime periphery at a time when delays to the incoming F-15EX fleet are forcing Washington to rely on rotational stealth aircraft to sustain deterrence and combat readiness in the western Pacific.
The F-22 remains the U.S. Air Force’s premier air superiority fighter, designed to penetrate heavily defended airspace, defeat advanced enemy fighters, and secure air corridors during the opening phase of high-intensity conflict. Operating from Kadena places the aircraft within immediate reach of Taiwan and key East China Sea sectors, sharply reducing response times while enabling tighter integration with tankers, airborne warning aircraft, and reconnaissance assets needed for sustained high-tempo operations against China’s expanding missile and air defense networks.
Related topic: Discover why China bets on quantum radar to cancel the F-22 and F-35 stealth advantage
From Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, F-22s can reach Taiwan Strait operating areas in less than one hour, East China Sea intercept zones within minutes, and the Korean Peninsula without requiring tanker support. (Picture source: US Air Force)
As reported by Stars and Stripes on May 6, 2026, F-22 Raptors from the U.S. Air Force’s 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron reached Kadena Air Base during a period in which the base continues operating without permanently assigned fighter squadrons following the retirement of its 48 F-15C/D Eagles. Twelve Alaska-based F-22s reportedly arrived between May 3 and May 4, while additional Langley-based aircraft arrived separately, placing the total force likely between 12 and 24 aircraft, consistent with previous Kadena fighter rotations since 2022.
The deployment occurred immediately after the withdrawal of rotational F-35A detachments from Hill Air Force Base and Eielson Air Force Base, preventing a reduction in fifth-generation fighter presence at Okinawa. In July 2024, the U.S. Air Force selected the F-15EX Eagle II as Kadena’s long-term replacement aircraft, but planned deliveries of the 36 units between March and June 2026 slipped following production disruptions caused by the Boeing machinists’ strike in St. Louis between August and November 2025. By late April 2026, the U.S. Air Force had not released an updated delivery schedule, forcing Kadena to maintain temporary rotational deployments.
The 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron draws F-22s from the Alaska-based 3rd Wing, one of the service’s primary F-22 formations assigned to Pacific and Arctic contingency planning, while the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron originates from Langley’s 1st Fighter Wing, historically the first operational F-22 unit following the aircraft’s introduction into service in December 2005. Such deployments involve substantially more than aircraft alone because each F-22 detachment requires maintenance teams, avionics specialists, engine support personnel, deployable mission planning systems, secure communications architecture, spare propulsion modules, munitions crews, and specialized climate-controlled support infrastructure, necessary to sustain F-22 Raptor operations outside home stations.
Rotational deployments to Kadena also permit Pacific Air Forces to cycle fighters between Indo-Pacific, CENTCOM, and European operational demands without permanently assigning large portions of the limited F-22 fleet to a single theater. Maintaining continuous rotational presence at Kadena, therefore, allows Pacific Air Forces to preserve regional deterrence and operational responsiveness without permanently concentrating scarce fifth-generation assets on Okinawa. Kadena historically hosted the 44th Fighter Squadron and the 67th Fighter Squadron, equipped with F-15C/D Eagles, responsible for air defense operations covering southern Japan, the East China Sea, and approaches toward Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.
The withdrawal of the F-15C/D fleet began in late 2022 after decades of intensive operations produced increasing structural fatigue, rising sustainment costs, and declining survivability against modern Chinese integrated air defense systems. Since 2022, Kadena has hosted repeated rotations involving F-22A Raptors, F-35A Lightning II fighters, F-15E Strike Eagles, and F-16C/D Fighting Falcons, creating overlapping deployment cycles rather than a stable permanent force structure. The model aligns directly with the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine developed after the late 2010s, when the U.S. Air Force concluded that fixed forward air bases in the western Pacific faced increasing vulnerability to long-range missile strikes.
Under this concept, aircraft disperse across multiple operating locations, rotate more frequently between bases, and operate through shorter deployment cycles to complicate enemy targeting calculations during the opening stages of conflict. Kadena nevertheless remains indispensable despite this doctrinal shift because no alternative location in the First Island Chain combines comparable runway capacity, hardened infrastructure, logistics depth, munitions storage, command-and-control architecture, and proximity to likely operating areas near Taiwan and the East China Sea.
The delayed F-15EX transition has become one of the principal drivers behind continued rotational fighter deployments at Kadena because the Eagle II was originally intended to restore a permanent tactical aviation structure on Okinawa beginning in 2026. The F-15EX incorporates the AN/APG-82 AESA radar, EPAWSS electronic warfare suite, digital fly-by-wire controls, and the ability to carry large numbers of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles or long-range standoff weapons. Deliveries to Kadena were expected between March and June 2026, but the Boeing machinists’ strike affecting St. Louis production facilities between August and November 2025 disrupted manufacturing schedules across the F-15EX program and delayed aircraft acceptance timelines.
In practical terms, every month of delay in F-15EX deliveries increases reliance on rotational fifth-generation deployments to preserve sortie generation capacity and combat aircraft density near China’s maritime periphery. The F-22 remains the U.S. Air Force’s primary dedicated air superiority fighter despite the termination of production in 2011 after only 187 operational aircraft were built. The Raptor originated from the Advanced Tactical Fighter program initiated during the Cold War to counter the Su-27 and MiG-29, eventually entering operational service in December 2005 following extended development delays.
Unit procurement cost estimates are commonly placed near $143 million per aircraft, while export sales were prohibited because of restrictions surrounding stealth technology transfer. The F-22 can sustain supersonic flight above Mach 1.5 without afterburner use, reducing fuel consumption and infrared signature while its internal weapons bays permit carriage of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinders, and precision-guided air-to-ground munitions. Within Indo-Pacific operational planning, the aircraft’s principal functions include suppression of opposing fighter jets, escort of tankers and airborne warning aircraft, penetration of contested airspace defended by integrated missile systems, and creation of localized air superiority corridors during the opening phase of high-intensity conflict.
Kadena Air Base occupies one of the most strategically significant locations within the western Pacific, as the installation is located roughly 770 km from Shanghai, 650 km from the Chinese coastline, 750 km from Taiwan, and 1,500 km from the Korean Peninsula. This places fighter jets within immediate operational reach of the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait without requiring staging from Guam or continental U.S. bases. The base operates two parallel runways, both measuring 3,688 meters, allowing simultaneous fighter, tanker, reconnaissance, transport, and special operations activity during high sortie generation periods.
With more than 20,000 personnel, Kadena hosts one of the highest concentrations of U.S. Air Force enabling assets in the Indo-Pacific, including the 909th Air Refueling Squadron operating KC-135R tankers, the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron operating E-3 Sentry aircraft, the 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron operating RC-135 intelligence collection aircraft, the 353rd Special Operations Wing, and Patriot PAC-3 missile defense systems. Unlike smaller dispersal locations used under Agile Combat Employment concepts, Kadena already possesses hardened aircraft shelters, fuel storage infrastructure, maintenance hangars, munitions storage areas, command-and-control facilities, and secure communications systems capable of sustaining prolonged high-tempo combat air operations without extensive additional infrastructure investment.
From Okinawa, F-22s can reach operational sectors near the Taiwan Strait in less than one hour, intercept zones over the East China Sea within minutes, and airspace near the Korean Peninsula without immediate tanker dependency. Stationing fighters at Kadena, therefore, significantly reduces reliance on tanker bridges extending from Hawaii at roughly 6,400 km distance, Alaska at roughly 5,500 km distance, or continental U.S. bases located more than 10,000 km away from likely operating areas. Kadena also allows direct integration between F-22 fighters, KC-135 tankers, E-3 airborne battle management aircraft, and RC-135 intelligence collection platforms operating from the same installation, compressing the sensor-to-shooter cycle during high-tempo operations.
Compared with operations launched from Guam, located roughly 2,500 km from Taiwan, Kadena reduces the F-22 transit time by several hours while increasing potential sortie generation rates during the opening phase of a conflict. At the same time, Kadena remains highly vulnerable to the Chinese PLA Rocket Force, capable of targeting Okinawa with DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles, DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and CJ-series land-attack cruise missiles.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
