Top fighter jets arrive in Japan

Two of America’s most advanced fighter jets, the F-22 Raptor, have arrived in Japan for their first overseas deployment, the US Air Force said today.

The F-22s, part of a dozen planned deployment in Japan, arrived at Kadena Air Base on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa around noon, the Air Force said in a statement.

The remaining aircraft will arrive tomorrow, it said.

The deployment, originally scheduled for last week, has been delayed because of a computer problem that affected the jets’ navigation system en route to Kadena from Hawaii.

The software has been updated and tested successfully before the two F-22s left Hickam, the Air Force said.

A dozen Raptors and more than 250 personnel from the 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, are deploying to Kadena as part of a regularly scheduled US Pacific Command rotational assignment of aircraft to the Pacific, officials said. While at Kadena, the jets are expected to hold combined exercises with Japan’s air force, US F-15s, and the US Navy.

The plane’s unique combination of stealth and manoeuvrability make it the most dominant fighter jet in the world.