Japanese F-35s and F-15s Fire Flares at Russian Patrol Aircraft: Tokyo’s First Air Defence Warning Shot

On September 23 Japanese Air Self Defence Forces F-35 and F-15 fighters were deployed to intercept a Russian Il-38 maritime patrol plane, which sources from the East Asian country claimed violated its airspace three times for one minute, 30 seconds, and then again for one minute. The fighters issued radio warnings and subsequently deployed flares, which emit heat and light to serve as a warning to the intruding aircraft. This was “the first time Japan has used flares as part of its enforcement measures against airspace violations,” according to a statement by the Japan Ministry of Defense. The Il-38 is suspected to have been tracking a Japanese submarine in nearby waters, and was reportedly deploying sonobuoys at the time of the incident. The Il-38N is capable of tracking up to 32 surface and underwater targets, and has been prioritised for delivery to the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet. Japanese submarines are notably widely considered among the very quietest in the world, with their use of lithium-ion batteries being a revolutionary change pioneered by the country. 

Japan notably placed much larger orders than any other foreign client for both the F-15 and the F-35, which are the two most costly fighter classes in the world ever to be exported. The country’s order for 105 F-35s is expected to significantly increase pressure on Russian defences in the country’s Far Eastern regions, with the fighters well optimised for penetration strikes into heavily defended airspace. Japan’s very large orders for the aircraft were largely stimulated by neighbouring China’s rapid progress developing its own fifth generation stealth aircraft, the J-20. In parallel to Japanese acquisitions, United States has also significantly increased F-35 deployments in Japan, which is the only foreign country to host F-35s from the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.