Japan’s Air Self-Protection Power has carried out its first fighter deployment to Europe in its 71-year historical past, with F-15 jets touching down at RAF Coningsby as a part of the Atlantic Eagles mission.
The deployment, operating from 14 September to 1 October, consists of two F-15 fighters supported by KC-767, KC-46A, and C-2 transport plane, together with round 180 personnel. Stops are deliberate at bases within the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany.
Basic Morita Takehiro, JASDF Chief of Workers, mentioned: “This marks our first fighter deployment to Europe within the 71-year historical past of the Koku-Jieitai. We’ve got named this mission ‘Atlantic Eagles,’ symbolising our F-15 jets spreading their wings throughout the Atlantic.”
Air Chief Marshal Richard Smyth, RAF Chief of the Air Workers, referred to as the arrival “a strong image of how far our partnership has superior. This isn’t merely a go to, it’s a demonstration of operational belief and shared goal.”
The mission builds on latest UK-Japan defence ties, together with joint coaching close to Japan and the UK’s Service Strike Group go to to the Indo-Pacific. Final month, defence ministers issued their first joint assertion, framing the partnership as coming into “new dimensions.”
Each air chiefs underlined that Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific safety are more and more linked. The Atlantic Eagles deployment, they mentioned, is meant to deepen mutual understanding and improve interoperability between the 2 air forces.
The mission marks the start of expanded RAF–JASDF collaboration, reinforcing shared commitments to peace, stability, and international safety.