In a first, Japan deploys F-35B stealth fighters to ASDF base
This marked the first F-35B deployment at an SDF base.
The ministry will deploy five more F-35Bs by the end of fiscal 2025. It plans to expand the F-35B fleet to 42 in the future.
Some of these aircraft are expected to operate with the Maritime SDF's Izumo and Kaga destroyers, which are being modified to serve as de facto aircraft carriers.
This operation is expected to bolster the defense of Japan's southwestern remote islands amid China's growing maritime assertiveness. However, some criticize that it would run counter to Japan's defense-only policy.
The ministry initially planned to introduce the F-35B, which can perform short takeoffs and vertical landings and has high stealth capabilities, during fiscal 2024, which ended in March. However, deliveries from the United States were delayed due to the development of software for the aircraft.
On Thursday, three F-35B fighters arrived at the Nyutabaru base around 1:30 p.m. and performed vertical landings. Four fighters were initially planned to arrive on the day, but one fighter's deployment was postponed due to a mechanical problem.
The ministry had said that the F-35B's noisy vertical landing training would be conducted only in emergencies, but in February, it announced that the training would be conducted, including at night, provoking a backlash from local communities.
The announcement was made due to a delay in the construction of an ASDF base in Mageshima in Kagoshima Prefecture, south of Miyazaki, where the ministry plans to conduct the training.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the arrival of the F-35B fighters, Shintomi Mayor Soshi Kojima expressed concern about the aircraft's noise.
"We want to discuss countermeasures in detail," Kojima said.
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