First Permanently Assigned US Air Force F-15EX Eagle II Arrives at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa

The first permanently assigned U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II arrived at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japan, on Nov. 15, 2026, the 18th Wing said in a release, starting the replacement of the F-15C/D fleet the base began withdrawing in November 2022.

The 18th Wing said Kadena is the first overseas Air Force installation to receive combat-coded F-15EX aircraft and the second Air Force location to field the fighter, after the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Wing at Portland Air National Guard Base.

According to the release, the F-15EX brings advanced avionics, modernized electronic warfare systems and greater weapons-carrying capacity, expanding Kadena's counterair mission; a side-by-side view shows how the F-15EX compares with the F-15 Eagle it replaces. The 18th Wing commander said in the release that the aircraft "strengthen our ability to deter aggression" and reinforce the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

Pilots of the 67th Fighter Squadron prepared for the aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and at Portland, while maintainers of the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron worked with Boeing and partner units, the wing said. An earlier 18th Wing release, dated June 30, 2026, named the 67th Fighter Squadron as the first operational F-15EX unit at Kadena and reported that an F-15EX of the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron had visited the base on June 29 alongside two F-15E Strike Eagles.

Kadena's F-15C/D fleet began its phased withdrawal after more than four decades of service, and rotational deployments of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters maintained a continuous fighter presence in the meantime, the 18th Wing said. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported on Sept. 8, 2026, that the Air Force rotated F-16, F-15, F-22 and F-35 squadrons through the base during that period.

The same Air & Space Forces report described the jet as "the first of 36 F-15EXs to be stationed at Kadena," a total that does not appear in the 18th Wing release. The magazine reported that the aircraft left Boeing's St. Louis plant on Aug. 28, 2026, and went first to Portland for final integration and software updates. It also reported that the jet had been due in spring 2026 and that a lengthy strike at the St. Louis plant in late 2025 slowed production.

GlobalMilitary.net's database counts 22 F-15EX in U.S. Air Force service. A Lot 7 contract for 22 aircraft worth $2.38 billion, dated Sept. 29, 2026, brought the service's F-15EX orders to 120. The database entry, which groups the F-15EX with the closely related export Eagles, also lists 48 aircraft in service with Qatar and 83 with Saudi Arabia, and 50 on order for Israel.

The new arrivals join a large Eagle population already in the country. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force operates 200 F-15J Eagles, according to the database, including aircraft based at Naha Air Base, also on Okinawa.

The 18th Wing release gives no total or timetable for the jets still to come; the 36-aircraft figure rests on the Air & Space Forces report. The wing marks its centennial in 2027.