According to , Boeing said in a statement on February 29, 2024, that the violations included Chinese employees based in China improperly downloading documents related to US Defense programs.聽聽

In the four years leading up to 2017, the employees accessed data relating to F-18, F-15 and F-22 fighter jet programs, plus the E-3 Sentry and AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. 

In addition, between 2013 and 2018 there were unauthorized technical downloads at Boeing and partner bases in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Morocco, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.聽

鈥淭he administrative settlement between the Department of State and Boeing […] addresses Boeing精东影业 unauthorized exports and retransfers of technical data to foreign-person employees and contractors; unauthorized exports of defense articles,鈥� the State Department said.  

All of the alleged violations were voluntarily disclosed by Boeing and a considerable majority predate 2020. Furthermore, the US does not allege that the documents contained classified material.  

In all, the settlement resolves 199 violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). 

The State Department added that Boeing had 鈥渋ncorporated numerous improvements to its compliance program since the conduct at issue鈥�. 

Under the terms of a 36-month Consent Agreement, Boeing will pay a civil penalty of $51 million. However, the State Department agreed to suspend $24 million if it is used to strengthen the company精东影业 compliance program. 

鈥淭he settlement demonstrates the Department精东影业 role in furthering the national security and foreign policy of the United States by controlling the export of defense articles. The settlement also highlights the importance of exporting defense articles only pursuant to appropriate authorization from the Department,鈥� the statement said.  

According to Reuters, Boeing has declared that it is committed to improving its trade controls compliance program and 鈥渃ommitted to our trade controls obligations, and we look forward to working with the state department under the agreement鈥�.聽

Singapore to add eight F-35As to future RSAF fighter fleet

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2024-02-29

Initially announced on April 20, 2021, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for infrastructure upgrades at Andersen AFB underwent a strategic pause for reevaluation, considering 鈥渆volving strategic initiatives in the Indo-Pacific.鈥� 

A revised Notice of Intent (NOI) was published in the Federal Register on December 15, 2023, initiating a 30-day public scoping period.  

Two locations were selected for the upgrades to accommodate the Singaporean fighters, with aircraft infrastructure to be built at the northwest corner of the airfield, and additional facilities within the munitions storage area of the airbase. 

鈥淐onstruction of upgrades would take place over approximately 3 to 7 years and would include airfield pavements, an aircraft hangar, maintenance and utilities buildings, fuel systems, fencing and utilities, roadways and parking, stormwater management infrastructure, and earth-covered magazines,鈥� the NOI reads.  

Andersen AFB was chosen after reviewing several options, dismissing five alternative locations. The base, located on the island of Guam in the western Pacific Ocean, is a strategic military installation operated by the USAF. It serves as a key forward operating location, supporting the projection of air power by the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.聽

The next stage will elaborate a comprehensive assessment of potential environmental impacts and community concerns. A draft EIS is expected by mid-2024, with the final EIS and plans slated for early to mid-2025. 

Canadian, French aircraft collision at Guam air base caused by human error

• Aviation Safety
• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2023-09-15

First, let精东影业 take a brief look at what is meant when we refer to the speed of an aircraft. 

The speeds reported in this list have usually been achieved during test flights involving special test aircraft in clean configurations (carrying no weapons or external fuel tanks). These tests show what the aircraft is capable of. However, in their day-to-day operations, the jets tend to fly significantly slower. 

The top speeds are also usually measured at an optimal altitude, typically above 30,000 ft (9,000 m), and many of the aircraft mentioned below are much slower when flying at lower altitudes.  

Additionally, this list only contains fighter aircraft that are currently in service. The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, the Panavia Tornado ADV, and the Convair F-106 Delta Dart among other jets have already been retired and have not been included here.  

The same applies to the Lockheed YF-12, the fighter related to the legendary SR-71 Blackbird. While it is the fastest fighter jet to ever exist, it was an experimental aircraft that never reached service. 

Honorary mentions: Mach 2 fighters 

A lot of the jets currently in service have a top speed of Mach 2 (between 2,100-2,200 km/h / 1,300-1,360 mph / 1,100-1,150 knots). These include: 

• Saab JAS 39 Gripen 
• Eurofighter Typhoon 
• Chengdu J-20 
• Sukhoi Su-57  

Honorary mentions: Mach 2.05-2.2 fighters 

While some of the most popular aircraft can reach speeds slightly higher than Mach 2, this is not enough to make the cut. These aircraft include: 

• General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon 
• Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-21 
• Dassault Mirage 2000 

• Dassault Mirage F1 

With that out of the way, let精东影业 move on to the ranking of the Top 10 world’s fastest fighter jets in 2024. 聽

10. McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II 

• Top speed: Mach 2.23 (2,370 km/h / 1,470 mph / 1,280 kn at 40,000 ft / 12,000 m) 

The Phantom is one of the most famous Cold War jets. While it has been retired by most of its operators, the air forces of Turkey, Greece, South Korea, and Iran still fly the aircraft. 

Notable for its un-aerodynamic shape, the F-4 can reach high speeds thanks to the raw power of General Electric J79 engines, invoking a saying popular among Phantom pilots and fans alike: 鈥渁 brick can fly if you stick a big enough engine on it鈥�. 

9. Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor 

• Top speed: Mach 2.25 (2,414 km/h / 1,500 mph / 1,303 kn at 40,000 ft / 12,000 m) 

The F-22 is the first 5th generation fighter, and the only stealth aircraft to be included on this list. Fewer than 200 Raptors have ever been made, and the type has never been exported. The US Air Force (USAF) remains its only operator. 

Despite being very fast at high altitudes, many of the older jets on this list can barely break the sound barrier while flying low. But the F-22 is different: it can fly faster than Mach 1.2 at sea level and reach high speeds even with full armament, which does not cause additional drag due to being stored in internal weapons bays. 

The Raptor also boasts the ability to supercruise, reaching more than Mach 1.8 without using afterburners. Supercruise is a signature tactic of 5th generation fighter jets and leads to greater fuel economy and longer ranges, as afterburners are very fuel-hungry. 

8. IAI Kfir 

• Top speed: Mach 2.3 (2,440 km/h / 1,520 mph / 1,320 kn at 36,000 ft / 11,000 m) 

The Kfir is an Israeli upgrade to the Dassault Mirage 5. This aircraft is currently operated by Colombia, Sri Lanka, and the private military corporation Textron.  

Its numerous upgrades include the General Electric J79-J1E turbojet engine which is considerably more powerful than the Mirage 5精东影业 original SNECMA Atar 9C.  

There are some conflicting reports that indicate that the Kfir精东影业 top speed is a more modest Mach 2. Furthermore, since the existing Kfir airframes are quite old, there is a chance that the aircraft can no longer achieve these speeds. However, much of the available information indicates that the Kfir精东影业 top speed is Mach 2.3. It also suggests that the model has likely reached this speed in the past, which is why 精东影业 has included the aircraft in its ranking. 

7. MiG-29 

• Top speed: Mach 2.3 (2,450 km/h / 1,520 mph / 1,320 kn at 36,000 ft / 11,000 m) 

Designed in the Soviet Union as a lighter counterpart to the Sukhoi Su-27 and a response to the F-16, the MiG-29 has been widely exported and is currently in the inventory of Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Poland, India, and many other countries. 

Despite often being described as a rival to the F-16, the MiG-29 mainly performed the role of point-defense interceptor and, as such, had a relatively small range and high speed. 

The aircraft has some limitations, though, and it can鈥檛 go supersonic while carrying a fuel tank. Nevertheless, a clean MiG-29 is said to be capable of reaching Mach 1.2 at sea level. 

6. Grumman F-14 Tomcat 

• Top speed: Mach 2.3 (2,485 km/h / 1,544 mph / 1,342 kn at 40,000 ft / 12,000 m) 

The F-14 is the world精东影业 first 4th generation fighter jet, designed primarily as a naval fighter for the US Navy. Retired by the Navy in favor of the F/A-18, the F-14 is currently operated by only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. 

Some reports suggest a clean F-14 could reach an even higher speed of Mach 2.5, although this claim has not been confirmed.  

5. MiG-23 

• Top speed: Mach 2.35 (2,499 km/h / 1,1553 mph / 1,349 kn at 36,000 ft / 11,000 m) 

Another swing-wing fighter, the MiG-23 was designed in the early 1960s and is still operated by North Korea, Syria, Ethiopia, and several other countries. 

Built as an interceptor, the MiG-23 is far less maneuverable than newer 4th generation jets and has relatively poor low-altitude performance. Nevertheless, it was an extremely sophisticated jet for the late 60s and remains one of the most iconic Soviet aircraft of the Cold War. 

4. Sukhoi Su-27 family 

• Top speed: Mach 2.35 (2,500 km/h / 1,600 mph / 1,300 kn at 36,000 ft / 11,000 m) 

The Su-27 was one of the most prolific late-Cold War jets, giving rise to an entire family of aircraft that includes the Su-30, the Su-34, the Su-35, the J-11, and J-16 among others.  

It is one of the most widely operated aircraft in the world. A number of models, derived from the Su-27, have often been described as having top speeds between Mach 2 and Mach 2.35, although the most recent variants are unlikely to be as fast. Check out the section at the end of this list to find out why. 

Unlike some other 4th generation jets, the Su-27 can鈥檛 reach Mach 1.2 at sea level, and with external ordinance, its top speed is also significantly lower. However, it was not intended to work as a dedicated interceptor, and high speeds at a high altitude are more of a byproduct of this aircraft精东影业 powerful engines, designed to give it high payload capacity and acceleration. 

3. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle 

• Top speed: Mach 2.5 (2,655 km/h / 1,650 mph / 1,434 kn at 40,000 ft / 12,000 m) 

Probably one of the most well-known US-made aircraft, the F-15 is operated by the USAF, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. 

The jet was developed as a response to the MiG-25 interceptor (which makes an appearance later in this list). While the Eagle is slightly slower than the aircraft it was designed to rival, the American jet makes up for this by also having tremendous low-speed maneuverability. 

It is also the only fighter jet to ever shoot down a space satellite, and the only one to experience no air-to-air losses while scoring over 100 aerial victories.  

Despite the base model being more than 50 years old, the F-15 is still in production as a vastly upgraded F-15EX. 

2. MiG-31 

• Top speed: Mach 2.83 (3,000 km/h / 1,900 mph / 1,600 kn at 70,538 ft / 21,500 m) 

The MiG-31 was based on the legendary MiG-25 and was also intended to replace it. The performance of the two aircraft is actually similar, except for the fact that the MiG-31 has superior sensors, electronics and armament. 

The MiG-31 was initially designed to be more adaptable than the MiG-25, offering several variants, including a multirole fighter, a bomber and a reconnaissance aircraft. These variants were later scrapped but plans to produce them still resulted in the MiG-31 having a decent low-level performance. The aircraft can reach Mach 1.25 at sea level, something earlier interceptors were incapable of doing.  

The MiG-31 is primarily operated by Russia精东影业 Aerospace Forces, although Kazakhstan also has a small number of these jets. Of the more than 500 MiG-31s manufactured, fewer than 100 currently remain operational. 

However, despite many modernizations, the aircraft does have problems that severely limit its speed.  

During parliamentary hearings in 2013, Victor Bondarev, head of the Russian Aerospace Forces, that the MiG-31’s new cockpit glass, which provides better visibility, has also limited the aircraft精东影业 speed to Mach 1.5. 

But the jet might not need to rely on faster speeds due to its vastly expanded modern armament, which includes hypersonic missiles.  

1. MiG-25 

• Top speed: Mach 2.83 (3,000 km/h / 1,900 mph / 1,600 kn at 70,538 ft / 21,500 m) 

Designed in the late 1960s the MiG-25 was arguably the most feared fighter jet of the Cold War, and is responsible for the US scrambling to develop the F-15. 

However, whether the MiG-25 can really be considered operational is debatable.  

Retired in almost all countries that had it, the MiG-25 officially remains in the arsenal of just one country: Syria, where it has been grounded for years, according to multiple reports. Algeria demonstrated some flightworthy MiG-25s in mid-2022. However, it has since gone on to officially retire the aircraft. 

However, at least theoretically, the MiG-25 remains the world’s fastest fighter jet. It and reached the speed surpassed by no other airbreathing jet except for the SR-71 and its derivatives. 

The MiG-25 was designed first and foremost as a high-altitude interceptor. Just like many other aircraft of this type, it had poor maneuverability and could not break the sound barrier at sea level while carrying missiles.  

A table: Top 10 world’s fastest fighter jets in 2024

This ranking includes speeds reached by test aircraft. But what about deployed jets? 

With the MiG-25 having been practically retired, and the MiG-31 facing a speed limit of Mach 1.5 imposed by the latest modernizations, the F-15 is the fastest fighter jet in service in terms of deployed aircraft.  

Its latest variant, the F-15EX, is officially faster than any variant of the next fastest jet, the Su-27. Some reports have that the F-15EX reached the speed of Mach 2.4 during testing, although this information has not been officially confirmed. Boeing also claims that the top speed of the F-15EX is Mach 2.4. 

However, does this matter? Not really. 

Why are modern jets slower?

You may have noticed that most jets on this list are rather old. Meanwhile, the latest generation, except for the F-22, is rarely reported as capable of reaching even Mach 2. 

Fast speeds have long stopped being a subject of bragging rights for aircraft manufacturers, and the newest aircraft are indeed, on average, significantly slower than their predecessors. This is because speed stopped being as important in air combat and was sacrificed in favor of maneuverability, stealth, and fuel efficiency among other factors.  

have shown that fighters rarely reach speeds of more than Mach 1.2 during real air combat, and higher speeds are only important for long-range interceptions, a role that the top aircraft on this list, the F-15 and the MiG-31, are perfectly capable of fulfilling. 

New medium- and long-range missiles further the speed advantage. As a result, Cold War-era interceptors remain the fastest jets ever designed, and the newest aircraft are, in comparison, very slow. They really 鈥�don鈥檛 make them as they used to鈥� 鈥� and for a reason. 

Revealed: Top 10 best fighter jets in the world in 2024

• Aircraft
• Aviation Technology and Innovation
• Aviation Top 10s
• Defense

byRosita Mickeviciute

2023-11-21

The Dubai Airshow opens on November 13, 2023, with a host of aviation and defense companies taking part in one of the most eagerly anticipated flight festivals in the world.  

On November 6, 2023, Boeing confirmed that its F-15QA fighter jet used by the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) will demonstrate for the first time at an air show. Boeing精东影业 new widebody 777-9 aircraft will also take to the skies for flight displays.  

As a strategic sponsor of the airshow’s , Boeing will highlight its commitment and actions towards a more sustainable aerospace future and support of the aviation industry’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050. 

“We’re proud to again join the Dubai Airshow and share some of our most advanced products and services with customers, suppliers, partners and aviation enthusiasts attending from around the globe,” Dr. Brendan Nelson AO, president of Boeing Global, said. “We will also focus on our investments in technology and other actions to reduce industry emissions ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 28) in Dubai.” 

The 777-9 will perform in a flight display and also be available to see at its festival home between November 13 and 15.  

The 777-9 is based on the twin-aisle 777 family with advanced technologies taken from the 787 Dreamliner. The jet can seat 426 passengers with a range of 7,295 nautical miles. 

The 787-9 Dreamliners from Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, an Emirates Airlines 777-300ER, a SAUDIA 787-10 Dreamliner and an Air India Express 737 MAX will all be on display too. 

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s newest carrier, will display a Boeing-owned 787-9 in its new indigo livery, inspired by the colors of the sky at dusk. 

Along with the F-15QA fighter jet aerial demonstration, the F-15E, KC-46A Pegasus, P-8A Poseidon, AH-64 Apache and CH-47F Chinook will be on static display. 

Boeing will also feature the T-7A Red Hawk Advanced Pilot Training System simulator, giving visitors a glimpse into the revolutionary ground-based training system, connecting simulators to real training jets. 

精东影业 is a media partner of the Dubai Airshow 2023. You can reach out to our dedicated journalists Miquel Ros and Ian Molyneaux to share your story or set up a meeting by emailing us at聽editor@aerotime.aero

Dubai Airshow to showcase Gulfstream G700 and Falcon 10X full-size mockup cabin

• Aircraft
• Business Aviation

byIan Molyneaux

2023-10-31

The fighter jet, belonging to the 173rd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, was landing at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base after a routine training mission. The F-15D, piloted by an instructor, had only one crew member on board. 

Upon landing, the aircraft left the paved surface and stopped in a Bureau of Reclamation irrigation canal at the south side of the airbase runway.  

The pilot successfully exited the aircraft and was transported to Sky Lakes Medical Center for evaluation, before being released with minor injuries. 

鈥淲e are so grateful that our pilot was able to walk away from this mishap,鈥� said Colonel Micah Lambert, 173rd Fighter Wing vice commander. 鈥淥ur Team Kingsley responders acted quickly and with professionalism thanks to the extensive training and safety mindset of our team.鈥� 

The aircraft wreckage was secured with absorbent booms to avoid fuel or other substances leaking into the water. Water sampling was conducted by the wing to detect the presence of pollutants.  

鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe the aircraft is leaking any petroleum products based on our initial assessment of the water in the canal,鈥� Lambert said. 鈥淢inimizing the environmental impact is one of our main priorities.鈥�  

The USAF is collaborating with local authorities and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Reclamation, to safely remove the aircraft from the canal. An investigation into the mishap was opened.  

The 173rd Fighter Wing is responsible for training combat pilots and support personnel on the F-15C and F-15D Eagle. It is slated to become the first F-15EX formal training unit in 2024. 

鈥屸�孎-15EX completes first operational test mission in Florida鈥屸�屸��

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2021-10-25

The leak comes just a day after the game made headlines following a user精东影业 post which contained a restricted document about the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. 

The new leak appears to have consisted of numerous Operational Flight Program (OFP) software manuals for the F-15E, including ones on flight controls, navigation, targeting and weapons systems.  

The information provided in the post indicates the documents were originally published between 1998 and 2000 and pertained to OFP suite 3. The suite has been upgraded numerous times in the past decades, and it is unclear if the old one is still in use. 

The documents were posted on War Thunder on January 18, 2022, by user RanchSauce39. The post has since been deleted by Gaijin Entertainment, the discussion on the forum indicates.聽聽

A of the post has been preserved and spread across social media; some screenshots of the manuals, shared by RanchSauce39, have also been posted in the same thread, as users argued if they contain classified materials.聽

The forum moderators seemed to agree that while the documents were declassified, their publishing was restricted and disallowed by both the US law and the rules of the forum. 精东影业 had no chance to confirm that. 

The previous leak contained declassified but restricted documents as well and consisted of a flight manual detailing the use of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) on the F-16. 

Another War Thunder leak: player posts restricted F-16 documents

• Defense

byValius Venckunas

2023-01-17

It was significantly smaller in scale than the latest F-15 leak and contained documents on an older variant of the F-16.聽聽

Troublingly passionate fanbase聽

War Thunder 鈥� an online game in which players use various military vehicles to fight each other 鈥� has been known for its players sharing sensitive information online. 

The users usually obtain and post the materials in an attempt to convince the game精东影业 developers to tweak the performance of the vehicles represented in the game.  

Restricted manuals and other documents about Challenger, Leclerc and Type 99 tanks, the Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter, and other types of real-life military tech have been posted on the game精东影业 forums. 

In most cases the documents have been available elsewhere on the internet and reposted by War Thunder users.  

The game精东影业 forum rules forbid publishing any kind of restricted material, so in all aforementioned cases the documents were removed by the moderators or the game developers. 

The developers also do not base the in-game representations of vehicles on such materials, Anton Yudintsev, the founder of Gaijin Entertainment, said in a comment to 精东影业. 

鈥淲e always delete posts containing classified or restricted information from our forum as soon as possible. We forbid our users to share documents like this on our platforms. We remind our users again and again that it精东影业 both illegal and pointless, so they should never do that,鈥� Yudintsev added. 

On December 1, 2022, the 18th Wing of the USAF housed in Kadena Air Base on Okinawa Island announced the first departure of several F-15C Eagles towards the United States. 

鈥淭his is the beginning of a significant journey for the 18th Wing,鈥� said Brig. Gen. David S. Eaglin, 18th Wing commander. 鈥淭his is going to take us from where we are today to a better place in the future where we will have modernized fighters here at Kadena to better protect our allies and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.鈥�

Two squadrons of F-15 fighters (the 44th Fighter and the 67th Fighter Squadrons) have been permanently based in Japan since 1979. However, on October 28, 2022, the USAF announced that the aging Eagles would be progressively phased out over two years.  

Expected to be retired in the 2020s for some time, the F-15 was instead developed into yet another iteration, named the F-15EX Advanced Eagle, which prompted a needed technological leap for the aging airframe. The F-15EX will progressively replace the aging F-15C/D fleets within the USAF.   

To replace the capacity gap, F-22 Raptors fighters will be deployed from Alaska to Okinawa on a rotational basis.  

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which entered service in 2005, is the world精东影业 first mass-produced fifth-generation fighter jet, as well as the first air superiority fighter to use passive stealth technology.   

The decision was met with interrogations among Republican lawmakers, who sent an to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to voice their concerns.  

鈥淲hile we agree with the need to modernize the Air Force精东影业 fleet in order to counter the rising threat of the People精东影业 Liberation Army, […] plans to replace permanently-based fighters with rotational forces will lead to a tangible reduction in American forward combat power in the Indo-Pacific, lowering the bar for aggression,鈥� the letter read. 

US lawmakers concerned about F-15 withdrawal from Japan

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2022-11-03

On October 28, 2022, the 18th Wing of the USAF, housed in Kadena Air Base on Okinawa Island, announced that the two squadrons of aging F-15 fighters based in Japan since 1979 would be progressively phased out over two years, starting on November 1, 2022.  

Expected to be retired in the 2020s for some time, the F-15 was instead developed into yet another iteration, named the F-15EX Advanced Eagle, which prompted a needed technological leap for the aging airframe. The F-15EX will progressively replace the aging F-15C/D fleets within the USAF.  

The wing added that 鈥渘ewer and more advanced aircraft鈥� would be temporarily deployed to Kadena to fill the capacity gap.  

Concerns in the US Congress 

The decision was met with interrogations among Republican lawmakers. On November 1, 2022, senators Marco Rubio and Bill Hagerty, and representatives Mike Gallagher and Michael T. McCaul filed an to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to voice their concerns. 

鈥淲hile we agree with the need to modernize the Air Force精东影业 fleet in order to counter the rising threat of the People精东影业 Liberation Army, we are concerned with reporting that indicates that there will be no permanent presence to replace the Okinawa F-15s,鈥� the letter reads. 鈥淧lans to replace permanently-based fighters with rotational forces will lead to a tangible reduction in American forward combat power in the Indo-Pacific, lowering the bar for aggression.鈥�  

Japan reports significant increase in military interceptions during 2021

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2022-04-19

The F-22 Raptor as a stopgap solution 

On November 1, 2022, Japan精东影业 Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada gave more details on the replacing deployment in a press conference. According to Hamada, a dozen F-22 Raptor fighters will be deployed as the same numbers of F-15C/Ds will be sent back to the United States, as reported by news agency . The F-22 deployment is expected to last for six months. 

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which entered service in 2005, is the world精东影业 first mass-produced fifth-generation fighter jet, as well as the first air superiority fighter to use passive stealth technology.  

Hamada also said that the rotation will be a temporary measure while the USAF figures out which aircraft to base permanently in Japan instead of the F-15 fleet. 

USAF to withdraw F-15 presence from Japan starting November 2022

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2022-10-31

Since 1979, two squadrons of F-15 C/D Eagles, the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons, have been continuously deployed to Kadena Air Base. The aging airframes will be progressively phased out over two years, starting on November 1, 2022. 

To fill the capacity gap left by the departure of the F-15s, the 18th Wing said that 鈥渘ewer and more advanced aircraft鈥� would be temporarily deployed in Kadena. 

鈥淭he US commitment to regional deterrence and the defense of Japan is ironclad,鈥� the wing said in a statement. 鈥淢odernizing our capabilities in the Indo-Pacific theater remains a top priority for the US.鈥� 

It remains unclear at this point whether the F-15 will be replaced by another permanent presence, or if the rotation will become the norm. 

The workhorse of air superiority 

The F-15 Strike Eagle is one of the elders in the United States arsenal. Since it entered service in 1976, the fighter jet dedicated to air superiority was regularly updated.  

Expected to be retired in the 2020s for some time, the aircraft was instead developed into yet another iteration, named the F-15EX Advanced Eagle, which prompted a needed technological leap for the aging airframe. The F-15EX will progressively replace the aging F-15C/D fleets within the USAF. 

The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force also operates the F-15 Eagle. The Mitsubishi F-15J, a homegrown version of the fighter, is currently acting as the JASDF精东影业 main interceptor. In 2021, the Japanese government included the modernization of Japan精东影业 F-15J fleet into the so-called F-15JSI (Japan Super Interceptor) variant in the fiscal year budget. 

Japan moves forward with F-15J 鈥楽uper Interceptor鈥� upgrade

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2021-12-13

In its last fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2022, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force reported carrying out 1,004 alert scrambles. This marks the second busiest year, after the record-high 1,168 scrambles during the fiscal year 2016. The main reason for the increase in alerts was a surge in activity from the People’s Liberation Air Force around Japan精东影业 air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The number of scrambles for Chinese military aircraft was 722 in 2021, against 458 the previous year.  

Japan reports significant increase in military interceptions during 2021

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2022-04-19

The United States Air Force announced that its newest fighter jet, the F-15EX Eagle II, recently performed its first series of live-fire tests.  

F-15EX 鈥楨agle II鈥� fighter successfully fires first missile

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2022-02-02

According to AFOTEC, upon finishing the first round of testing the F-15EX proved able to survive and fight in a heavily contested battlespace, with both its offensive and defensive capabilities being explored.