The JASDF Eagles Have Landed
With the mouthwatering thought of Japanese Eagles in Europe, 2025’s Exercise Atlantic Eagles was a deployment that had so much potential for the UK enthusiast, but felt somewhat underwhelming once the jets had departed RAF Coningsby for their next stop at Laage, Germany.
The rumours started in early summer, with the initial rumour mill suggesting it was going to be four Japanese Air-Self-Defence Force F-15Js at Coningsby for a week, flying with the based Typhoons while Cobra Warrior was on. The issue with these rumours was that it set the bar reasonably high, so when it came to September it was a little bit anticlimactic.
What the rumours had not grasped was that the Eagles weren’t coming to Europe to exercise alongside the RAF and Luftwaffe, the exercise was the deployment itself. Atlantic Eagle was the first time JASDF fast jets had visited Europe, with the exercise being used to strengthen international relationships as well as demonstrating global security on a level never seen before.
The actual exercise consisted of two F-15Js being deployed to Europe, specifically Coningsby and Laage, with stops at Eielson Air Force Base and CFB Goose Bay in the United States and Canada respectively. The Eagles, from 2nd Air Wing at Chitose Air Base, were supported by a pair of C-2 transport aircraft plus KC-46A and KC-767J tankers, both of which flew to RAF Brize Norton.
Thursday 18 September was, unsurprisingly, a day of broken cloud across Lincolnshire but spirits along the Coningsby fenceline were high. The internet was buzzing with rumours of the JASDF jets leaving Goose Bay as they headed eastwards. Then the first elements of disappointment kicked in as it became clear that only two F-15Js were en route, with the other pair being left behind in Canada to be picked up on their return leg. It’s fine, it’s still Japanese Eagles - seeing them in Europe is nothing short of amazing.
Fast forward a few hours and the Eagles were met by RAF Typhoons for a short photo sortie over the North Sea before recovering to Coningsby. Right on cue, a thick white cloud began moving in our direction and everyone just knew that the sun wasn’t going to play ball. Frustratingly, this thick cloud managed to place itself right over Coningsby as the pair of F-15Js arrived with the jets almost looking silhouetted against a bright blue sky in the distance. When it comes to photographing aircraft, conditions don’t get much worse than that. There’s always an element of ‘you win some, you lose some’ in the hobby, but we’re talking Japanese Eagles in the UK here. Was a bit of good fortune too much to ask?
For those that hung around, the arrival of a support C-2 was in glorious evening light, as was the return of several based Typhoons, so all was not lost photographically.
The Japanese contingent remained on the ground at Coningsby until Tuesday 23 September, when they departed to Laage. More than ever, we know to take rumours with a pinch of salt, but the grapevine is saying that the JASDF spent some of their short time at Coningsby observing the Cobra Warrior 25-2 exercise. Whether that will ever come to anything who knows - we can hope!
