The Air Force’s existing F-15 complement at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa is returning to the United States—apparently without anything to replace them.

The deployment of permanently stationed F-15EX Eagle II multirole fighters to Kadena Air Base, Japan, had been delayed because of last year’s strike at Boeing’s facilities in St. Louis, Missouri, according to the US Air Force. The strikes lasted from August to November.

Stars and Stripes first reported that the planned delivery of F-15EXs to Japan had been delayed. The 18th Wing was initially scheduled to receive its Eagle II aircraft beginning next month, with deliveries continuing through June.

“The Air Force will continue to support the Kadena mission with rotational forces until the 15EXs arrive,” an Air Force spokesperson told Air & Space Forces magazines on Wednesday.

The F-15EX Eagle II’s Specifications

• Year Introduced: 2021
• Number Built: 129+ (ongoing production)
• Length: 63.8 ft (19.44 m)
• Wingspan: 42.8 ft (13 m)
• Weight (MTOW): 81,000 lbs. (36,740 kgs)
• Engines: Two General Electric F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofans
• Top Speed: 1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) / Mach 2.5
• Range: Approx. 2,762 mi (4,445 km)
• Service Ceiling: ~60,000 ft (18,300 m)
• Loadout: One internally mounted M61A1 20 mm six-barrel cannon with 500 rounds, 23 hardpoints for external fuel and ordnance (29,500 lb payload capacity)
• Aircrew: 2 (pilot and weapons systems officer)

The Strike Was a Major Headache for Boeing and the Air Force

Last year’s strike involving Boeing’s workforce at its facilities in St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Charles and Mascoutah, Illinois, involved more than 3,200 International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837 members. Prior to the strike, the Eagle II program had remained within project cost, schedule, and performance criteria, with all Lot 1 aircraft already delivered to the US Air Force.

It was previously acknowledged that the strike would impact deliveries of military aircraft produced by the aerospace firm and impact readiness far from the nation’s heartland.

Then-Air Force chief of staff nominee General Kenneth Wilsbach said in written testimony to lawmakers that deliveries of the F-15EX Eagle II had already been delayed due to the strike, which was resolved in November. Production resumed shortly after the workers returned.

With the Lot 2 aircraft delayed, F-15EX operations at the Portland Air National Guard Base (ANGB) were affected, and there were warning signs that deliveries to Kadena Air Base would be delayed.

Did the Eagles Fly the Coop Too Soon?

The 18th Wing’s legacy F-15C Eagle departed from Kadena Air Base in January 2025. It marked the end of 45 years of flight operations with the Eagle from the base on Okinawa, known as the Keystone of the Pacific.

The Air Force had first announced in 2022 that the aging Eagles would be returned to the United States, either sent to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group’s “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, for long-term storage, or to Air National Guard (ANG) units. Parts from the old warbirds would likely be used to keep other aging F-15s flying.

However, the decision to retire the Eagles at Kadena before their replacements were ready has not been without controversy. In 2024, the Air Force confirmed that 48 F-15C/Ds at Kadena would be replaced with 36 new F-15EX Eagle IIs.

“To ensure no gaps in forward-deployed fighter capabilities, the Department of Defense will maintain a steady-state presence at Kadena by deploying fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft until the arrival of the F-15EX fleet,” the Air Force previously announced.

That may be easier said than done, especially as the US Air Force is now rushing fighter aircraft, including F-22s and F-35s, from North America as part of the Pentagon’s buildup in the Middle East due to rising tensions with Iran. Some of the fifth-generation aircraft had previously been deployed to the Caribbean to support operations there.

As Air & Space Forces reported, in 2022, retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, warned that retiring Kadena’s Eagles would present problems, but said it wasn’t surprising and was due to the “consistent underfunding of the Air Force over 30 years.”

Gen. Deptula was vocal about the plan to rotate other aircraft to the Keystone of the Pacific.

“It will stress those aircraft, maintenance personnel, the deployed aircrews, and their families, exactly at a time when pilot retention is a serious problem,” the general stated. He noted it “deprives other combatant commands of fighter aircraft.”

The Air Force Wants More Eagle IIs

The US Air Force is set to acquire approximately 144 F-15EX aircraft, scaled back from the 144 aircraft the service initially sought to replace its aging fleet of F-15C/D models.

It remains unlikely that there will be enough aircraft to address multiple crises simultaneously, as the US is now facing. It will mean fewer warbirds will be available, and they’ll be pushed even harder.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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