America has taken a big step to increase the strength of its air force in Asia near China, North Korea and Russia. The US Air Force has started deploying its first permanent F-35A fifth generation fighter aircraft at Misawa Air Base located in northern Japan. According to the report of Military Watch magazine, these 48 fighter jets are being deployed in place of 36 old fourth generation F-16CJ deployed at Misawa Air Base.

This deployment of the new fifth-generation fighter aircraft will represent the US Air Force’s largest permanent deployment of fighter jets to East Asia, further enhancing the US Air Force’s combat capability, particularly near China, North Korea and the Russian Far East. The plan to replace the F-16 fighter jets of the 35th Fighter Wing at America’s Misawa Air Base in Japan was first announced in July 2024.

On the deployment of fifth-generation F-35A fighter planes at Misawa Air Base, Lieutenant Colonel John Widmer, commander of the 13th Fighter Squadron, said, ‘One of the things that will have the biggest impact with the replacement of F-16 fighter planes with F-35 is definitely the stealth capability of the planes.’

F-16CJ was an expert in air defense suppression operations

Speaking about the US Air Force’s F-16CJs being primarily experts in air defense suppression operations, Lieutenant Colonel Widmer said how the F-35 will enhance these capabilities. Describing the Wild Weasel operation, he said, ‘The F-35 was specifically designed to be a Wild Weasel platform. “Where older platforms performed the Wild Weasel mission with manipulative sensors or weapons, the F-35 is built from the ground up as a sensor platform, with sensor fusion and quarterback capabilities.”

He further said, ‘With the help of our sensor package, we can detect the threat and can easily manage any threat created by the enemy. It is constantly being updated and as we move forward, it has become the place where I want to be able to go if a war situation arises.

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