U.S. sends fighter jets to Japan in apparent warning to North, China
Published: 24 Feb. 2022, 19:13
In an apparent warning to North Korea and China, the United States has deployed an unspecified number of F-35A stealth fighter jets to Okinawa, Japan, its military said Thursday.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the F-35A jets from the 354th Fighter Wing in Alaska had been moved to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, on Sunday to take part in “integrated air operations.”
Their arrival follows the the U.S. military’s deployment of four B-52 subsonic bomber jets to Guam earlier in the month to partake in training operations with allies and regional partners.
“Their arrival signals the continuing effort to refine the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's warfighting capability through agile combat employment, which supports the National Defense Strategy to develop a more lethal, agile and resilient force,” the Indo-Pacific command said of the F-35A jets.
The U.S. Air Force “uses a flexible theater posture” to “support our allies and partners in a free and open Indo-Pacific theater,” the command said.
Developed by Lockheed Martin in partnership with Northrup Grumman and BAE Systems, the F-35A is the conventional takeoff and landing version of the fifth-generation single-seat, single-engine, stealth combat aircraft.
In addition to conducting surprise air strikes with its ability to evade radar detection, the F-35A is can also carry out electronic warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The jet has supersonic top speed of Mach 1.6, or 1,200 miles per hour, with a full weapons load.
The movement of U.S. strategic military assets such as F-35A stealth jets and B-52 bomber jets suggests the country is sending a signal to North Korea and China that it stands ready to deter any major acts of provocation.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has rapidly amped up missile testing since the New Year, conducting seven tests of ballistic and cruise missiles in January alone.
The last test on Jan. 30 was that of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which experts believe could hit U.S. military assets in Guam, a distance of more than 3,400 kilometers (2,130 miles).
The North’s state media reported that the country’s ruling party Politburo was considering restarting “all previously-suspended activities,” in apparent reference to ending its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and longer range missile testing, which had been in place since late 2017.
Observers of the recalcitrant regime believe that Pyongyang could carry out a major weapons test to coincide with the 110th birthday anniversary of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's late grandfather and national founder, Kim Il Sung, on April 15.
Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, where the F-35A jets have been deployed, is also the closest U.S. military base to Taiwan, another subject of escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Mainland China views the self-governing island as a renegade province and says it would not rule out the possibility of using force to bring it under its control should it formally declare independence.
In response to Russia’s armed attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen called for the island to be vigilant, even as the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying claimed the two situations were not equivalent because "Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China."
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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