Rumors of a Japanese fighter deployment to Britain were confirmed on Aug. 29, 2025, when UK Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed in his speech at the Pacific Future Forum, Tokyo, that JASDF F-15Js would arrive in the UK in the coming weeks.
Speaking on board aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09), hosting the Pacific Future Forum summit while alongside in Tokyo, Healey remarked that Japan is “the UK’s closest security ally in Asia”, and noted that the military partnership between the two nations would be strengthened even further in the near future. The Secretary of State for Defence referred to the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – a joint project between the UK, Italy, and Japan – as an example of the partnership, alongside the recent fielding of F-35Bs aboard the Japanese ship Kaga (DDH-184), the first time in history that British jets have flown from a Japanese deck. In addition, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba – a noted enthusiast of military equipment – visited HMS Prince of Wales while docked in Yokosuka several days ago.
The Prime Minister of 🇯🇵Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, hosted on board HMS Prince of Wales while alongside in Yokosuka. #CSG25 pic.twitter.com/jYqXI2Gq3W
— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) August 23, 2025
Healey announced that, in the coming weeks, the UK would host a deployment of Japanese F-15s to Europe. The official confirmation was swiftly welcomed by British planespotters, among whom whispers of such a detachment have been spreading for several weeks. It is understood that the aircraft will fly from RAF Coningsby, one of the Royal Air Force’s two frontline Typhoon bases, during the deployment.
The long-range deployment will be supported by Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) transport aircraft, likely Kawasaki C-2s. Both the fighters and the transports are extraordinarily rare in European skies, and the deployment is almost certain to attract a massive contingent of aviation enthusiasts from across the UK to the Lincolnshire air station. After the UK, the fighters are then expected to visit Laage Air Base in Germany. Japanese refueling aircraft, either KC-46s or the older KC-767s, may also be deployed to support the visit.
According to Scramble, the F-15Js will come from the 201st and 203rd Tactical Fighter Squadrons, both based at Chitose Air Base on Hokkaidō, Japan’s northernmost main island. The visit returns the favor extended by the UK all the way back in 2016 when four RAF Typhoons deployed to Japan for the first time. Since then, ties between the UK and Japan have grown ever closer, with mutual security agreements and an array of joint exercises that includes port visits from both of the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.
Kon’nichiwa Tokyo… 🇬🇧🇯🇵#RoyalNavy flagship @HMSPWLS has arrived in Tokyo for an historic visit to deepen bonds between Japan and the UK.#CSG25
Read more: https://t.co/PPVEs4TjlQ pic.twitter.com/uPvaDaxqeA
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) August 28, 2025
Coincidentally, the reported dates of the Japanese detachment – from Sept. 16 – align almost exactly with U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, which commences on Sept. 17 for three days. At the same time, an array of international forces will descend upon UK airfields for Exercise Cobra Warrior 25-2. Among the visiting aircraft expected are Canadian CF-188 Hornets, Italian and German Typhoons, and U.S. Air Force F-16s and B-52s.
GCAP Boost
Following reports of Japanese concerns at the pace of the GCAP programme, and perhaps as part of an effort to assuage concerns within the tripartite alliance, Healey announced that he seeks to agree with his two counterparts the programme’s first international contract by the end of 2025. He says this will be an “important step in driving the delivery of the design and development phase and allowing them to get towards manufacturing”.
Make no mistake, our adversaries are rapidly designing the capabilities to counter our strengths.
The Global Combat Air Programme is key to how we’ll maintain our advantage, a programme that supports 4,500 British jobs.
Strengthening security from the Pacific to the Atlantic. pic.twitter.com/aifYkYu6eu
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) August 29, 2025
Earlier this year the joint venture created by the three nations to oversee GCAP, Edgewing, opened its headquarters in Reading, UK. As a symbol of cooperation, the CEO position will be rotated between the three countries. GCAP is the first time Japan has joined a partnership of its kind, while for the UK and Italy it is the first time they have introduced a non-European nation as a main partner in their fighter programmes.
Further news on GCAP has been teased for release during the rest of the summit.
The F-15J
F-15J is a licence produced variant of the Boeing/McDonnell Douglas F-15, locally built by Mitsubishi in Japan. First flying in 1980, and introduced into service in 1981, the fighter has been a mainstay of the JASDF for well over four decades. New investment, creating a “Super Interceptor”, will see around half of the F-15J fleet upgraded with the Raytheon APG-82(v)1 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar alongside the AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS (Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System).
Japan Air Self-Defence Force / Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle / 32-8817 (cn 017) / MAGUS01 / Komatsu (RJNK/KMQ) / 25.Aug.2025.https://t.co/r9SmkrPLJw pic.twitter.com/hmhun03Hws
— トシ 青木 (@Toshi_Aoki_JPS) August 25, 2025
Moving beyond the air superiority role, the upgrade also includes the capability to deploy precision air to ground weaponry for the first time. Upgraded aircraft will field the AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range), providing both a land attack and anti-ship function.
Those aircraft not included in the upgrade will eventually be withdrawn from service, supplanted by F-35A Lightning IIs. It is expected that the fighter resulting from GCAP will then replace Japan’s multirole Mitsubishi F-2s – a derivative of the F-16.
