An F-15 Eagle takes off during an Aviation Training Relocation at Misawa Air Base in Japan on Dec. 15, 2015. U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jordyn Fetter
Forbes: U.S. Air Force F-15EXs Flying From Okinawa Could Fire Hypersonic Missiles At Targets 2,000 Miles Away
We don’t know where the U.S. Air Force plans to base its new F-15EX Eagle fighters. But we know where the flying branch should put at least some of the upgraded F-15s.
Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa. Armed with the new AGM-183 hypersonic missile, the new F-15s could be the most powerful strike aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region—and a huge threat to any Chinese attempt to invade Taiwan.
The Air Force in 2019 surprised observers when it announced it would acquire F-15EXs from Boeing BA -1.7% in order to replace 1980s-vintage F-15C/Ds. The service last bought F-15s—E-models—back in 2001.
The U.S. government in July signed a $23 billion deal that could include as many as 200 F-15EXs. The first planes should enter service in mid-2021.
The Air Force justified the F-15EX deal on the grounds that the nine existing F-15 squadrons—three in the active Air Force and six in the Air National Guard—could re-equip with the new planes in months. Transitioning to F-35 stealth fighters would take years, service officials said.
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WNU Editor: The Air Force is going to have 200 of them. I am sure they will be basing a few in Okinawa.
