A US Air Force F-22 Raptor had to abort takeoff due to a tire blowout at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, according to images taken by a planespotter.
The photos and video shared by @ma6400 on X.com show the F-22 coming to a stop after its left main landing gear tire exploded during the high-speed phase of the runway.
The F-22 in question belongs to the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, which deployed from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska in October 2024. This deployment includes Raptors alongside F-16 fighters from the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The goal is to strengthen US air superiority in the Pacific as older F-15C Eagle jets based at Kadena are gradually retired.
AeroTime sent a request for comment to the 18th Wing, the host unit at Kadena AB, but no response was received before publication.
On April 11, 2024, another F-22 Raptor, belonging to the 19th Fighter Squadron, 15th Wing, stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, experienced a nose landing gear issue while being towed from runway 23L/5R at Kadena Air Base.
Providing reassurance to Japan in reaction to China’s increasing military activities
Kadena’s 18th Wing announced on October 28, 2022, that its F-15C fighters, stationed in Japan since 1979, would be gradually withdrawn, starting in November 2022. The USAF initially replaced them with rotating deployments of F-22 Raptors as a temporary measure.
This decision faced scrutiny from Republican lawmakers. In an open letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, they expressed concerns over reducing the permanently based US fighter presence in the Indo-Pacific. They argued that the move might embolden aggression, particularly from China’s People’s Liberation Army.
However, recent developments have aimed to alleviate these concerns. On July 3, 2024, the Department of Defense revealed plans to deploy 36 F-15EX fighters at Kadena, replacing the older F-15C/D fleet. Rotations of fourth and fifth-generation aircraft will continue until the F-15EXs are fully operational.
Similar changes are also underway at other U.S. bases in Japan. Misawa Air Base in northern Honshu will see its fleet of 36 F-16 fighters replaced by 48 F-35A aircraft, significantly increasing both capacity and capability. Meanwhile, the U.S. Marine Corps plans to adjust the number of F-35B jets stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.