In September 2025, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) achieved a major milestone by deploying fighter jets to Europe for the first time in its 71-year history. This unprecedented operation, codenamed “Atlantic Eagles”, saw four F-15J fighter aircraft—accompanied by support planes including two C-2 transports, one KC-767, and one KC-46A aerial refueling tanker—travel across the globe with approximately 180 personnel.
The deployment began on September 14, 2025, with the aircraft departing from Chitose Air Base in Hokkaido, Japan. The route included stops at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska (United States), Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay in Canada, RAF Coningsby in the United Kingdom, and finally Laage Air Base in Germany. The mission concluded by early October 2025, marking a two-week journey that highlighted Japan’s expanding role in international defense cooperation.
This was not a combat operation but a goodwill visit focused on defense exchanges and unit-to-unit interactions. The primary objectives were to deepen mutual understanding, enhance cooperation, and build interoperability with allied air forces in North America and Europe. Although logistical demands after the long-distance flights limited extensive joint flying activities, the deployment included cultural exchanges, familiarization with allied bases, and symbolic formations with partner aircraft, such as RAF Typhoons and German Eurofighters.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense and leaders emphasized the interconnected nature of global security. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani described the mission as embodying the shared recognition that “the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is inseparable and mutually linked.” This perspective has gained urgency amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, prompting Japan to strengthen ties beyond its traditional U.S.-focused alliances.
The “Atlantic Eagles” deployment reciprocated earlier European engagements with Japan, including German Eurofighter visits in 2022 and RAF Typhoon deployments in 2016. It also built on recent milestones, such as the UK Carrier Strike Group’s visit to Japan in 2025 for joint exercises and British F-35Bs operating from a Japanese carrier.
A key strategic driver is the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a trilateral initiative between Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy to develop a next-generation (sixth-generation) fighter jet expected to enter service around 2035. The mission reinforced this defense-industrial partnership and demonstrated Japan’s commitment to closer collaboration with NATO partners.
Japan’s broader strategic evolution—including record defense budget increases, the establishment of a dedicated mission to NATO in 2025, and participation in multilateral frameworks—reflects a shift away from postwar pacifist constraints toward proactive engagement in global stability. While viral social media posts in early 2026 recirculated images and details from the 2025 deployment as if they were new developments, the actual event wrapped up months earlier.
The “Atlantic Eagles” mission stands as a landmark in international defense relations, symbolizing how like-minded democracies are forging stronger, more interconnected security networks to address shared challenges in an increasingly uncertain world.
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