US to deploy 12 F-35A Stealth fighters at Kadena

October 24, 2017

WASHINGTON- The US Pacific Air Forces announced on Monday a plan to deploy 12 units of the state-of-the-art F-35A stealth fighter at the Kadena Air Base in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa.

It will be the first time for the Air Force variant of the F-35 to be stationed in the Asia-Pacific region. In January, F-35B fighters, a variant for the US Marine Corps, were deployed at the Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan.

The 12 F-35As and some 300 airmen of the 34th Fighter Squadron in Utah are scheduled to arrive at Kadena in early November for a six-month rotation.

The deployment is "designed to demonstrate the continuing US commitment to stability and security in the region," the Pacific Air Forces said. Jiji Press