Brig. Gen. John Gallemore said the first Boeing F-15EX Eagle II destined for Kadena Air Base in Okinawa left Boeing’s St. Louis facility on August 28, 2026. The aircraft is headed first to the 142nd Wing at Portland Air National Guard Base in Oregon before its eventual deployment to Okinawa.
Gallemore, the 18th Wing commander, said: "This is an important next step toward bringing the F-15EX home to Kadena." He also said: "Our team is ready to welcome the F-15EX, and this is another milestone that brings us closer to putting this capability in the hands of the airmen who will fly, maintain and employ it from Japan."
22-0022 leaves St. Louis
The first Kadena aircraft carries serial 22-0022. It was flying test sorties from St. Louis in early August 2026 in primer paint, then in the middle of August 2026 with its full livery, including the ZZ tail code.
The departure gives the 18th Wing a dated step in the transfer of the new fighter toward Japan. It also puts the aircraft into the preparation track that leads through the 142nd Wing, which will handle final staging and integration preparations for the 18th Wing.
142nd Wing prepares the handoff
The F-15EX is leaving Boeing’s St. Louis plant, but its permanent assignment in Japan is not immediate because it must first go to the 142nd Wing for final staging and integration preparations. That handoff is the bridge between factory delivery and operational use at Kadena.
The Air Force expects the arrival of the F-15EX in Japan to begin in fiscal year 2027, which starts on October 1, 2026. At Kadena, two active-duty squadrons of F-15EXs are set to be established.
Kadena’s F-15C/D replacement
The jet is intended to replace the now-withdrawn F-15C/D fleet at Kadena. The Air Force has been deploying F-15Es, F-22s and other fighters to the base on a rotational basis to fill the gap in the meantime.
The F-15EX is positioned for that role because it can carry large air-to-air and air-to-surface payloads, and its open-architecture systems make it easier to add new sensors, weapons and electronic warfare capabilities than the F-15C/D fleet. For Kadena, the next real marker is not the departure from Missouri but the point when the aircraft moves from preparation to Japan.
