U.S. Air Force Deploys F-22 Raptor Fighter Jets to Another Base in Japan as China’s Missile Threat Grows

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors from the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron operated at Japan’s Tsuiki Air Base during Exercise Keen Sword 27, with an arrival documented on October 19, 2026. The aircraft deployed from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska and used a Japanese-operated installation beyond the principal U.S. fighter hub at Kadena, enabling practice in dispersed fifth-generation operations. Such activities test airfield access and support arrangements in conjunction with Japanese forces, but published photographs did not establish how many fighters participated. The deployment was exercise-related, with no permanent basing decision or combat mission announced.