Japan Air Self-Defense Force's main fighter jet 'F-15J'001 The F-15J is considered the primary fighter jet that our Air Force would have to face first in the event of an aerial battle between Korea and Japan over Dokdo. Photo by Japan Air Self-Defense Force
[Kim Daeyoung, Military Analyst] The F-15J is an air superiority fighter operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), actively deployed on the front lines of Japanese airspace. The F-15J is a licensed-produced version of the F-15, originally developed by the United States, manufactured domestically in Japan. Since its first flight on June 4, 1980, over 210 units have been produced over more than 30 years.
The F-15J boasts the largest number among the fighter jets possessed by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It is effectively their mainstay fighter. Therefore, if Japan and South Korea were to engage in an aerial battle over Dokdo in an emergency, the F-15J would be the first fighter our Air Force would have to face. On December 28, 1977, the Self-Defense Forces decided to adopt the F-15J as the next main fighter for the Air Self-Defense Force.
Meanwhile, the U.S. referred to Japan’s F-15J acquisition as the Peace Eagle program. The licensed production of the F-15J began full-scale preparations in 1978. Engineers from both Japan and the U.S. traveled back and forth to prepare for production, and in July 1980, the first F-15J fighter for the Air Self-Defense Force was delivered from McDonnell Douglas’s St. Louis plant.
Subsequently, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries carried out licensed production of the F-15J in stages, producing a total of about 210 units combining the single-seat F-15J and the two-seat F-15DJ. Although Israel was the first country in the world to introduce the F-15 fighter in 1976, Japan holds the second largest number of F-15 fighters after the U.S. Additionally, like the F-4EJ fighters previously operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Japan is the only country to have licensed-produced the F-15 fighter.
On the other hand, South Korea decided to introduce the F-15K fighter through the F-X Phase 1 program in April 2002, later sequentially commissioning 40 units from 2005. Subsequently, about 20 more units were added through the same F-X Phase 1 program.
Like our Air Force, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is also introducing the stealth fighter F-35A. However, to protect Japan’s vast airspace and air defense identification zone, the continued normal operation of the F-15J, which has a relatively large combat radius, is urgently necessary. For this reason, upgrades to the F-15J fighter have been continuously carried out.
The F-15J Kai (改), known as the modernized F-15J, is equipped with the AN/APG-63(V)1 radar and infrared search and tracking systems. Recently, under the name JSI (Japanese Super Interceptor), about 90 F-15J fighters are planned to be upgraded.
Our Air Force is also pushing forward with upgrade plans to enhance the capabilities of the currently operated F-15K fighters to counter new fighters from neighboring countries. The upgraded specifications will be similar to the U.S. Boeing’s latest F-15 fighter, the 'Advanced Eagle.'
First, the existing mechanical radar will be replaced with the active electronically scanned array (AESA) APG-82(V)1, and the digital electronic warfare system (DEWS), which accurately detects enemy threats, issues warnings, and conducts jamming operations, will be applied. Additionally, the mission computer, considered the brain of the fighter, will be significantly enhanced.
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