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yesterday

Japan Receives First F-35B Stealth Fighters at Nyutabaru Air Base

Provisional squadron training is under way at Nyutabaru following runway delays that have deferred Mageshima vertical-landing exercises to 2030

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A Japanese F-35B stealth fighter jet lands on Nyutabaru Air Base in Japan for deployment on August 7, 2025.
Photo courtesy of JASDF
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Overview

  • Three F-35B jets were ferried to Nyutabaru Air Base on August 7, with U.S. pilots flying the deliveries and a fourth aircraft held back in the U.S. for maintenance inspections.
  • A provisional F-35B squadron formed in March has begun pilot training and maintenance preparations at Nyutabaru ahead of full fleet activation.
  • Construction delays on the Mageshima Island runway have pushed shore-based vertical-landing drills into 2030, prompting local noise protests at Nyutabaru.
  • Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force carriers JS Izumo and JS Kaga are completing modifications for F-35B operations, with Izumo set for 2027 and Kaga for 2028.
  • Tokyo plans to field 42 STOVL F-35Bs alongside 105 conventional F-35As to bolster dispersed land and sea air power in response to growing regional security challenges.