Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army Patriot missile batteries take part in an elephant walk at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, May 6, 2025. (Tylir Meyer/U.S. Air Force)
In a vivid display of U.S. military might, more than 50 aircraft and two Patriot missile batteries lined an Air Force runway on Okinawa on Tuesday for what the service calls an “elephant walk.”
The operation at Kadena Air Base — involving 53 aircraft from both the Air Force and Navy, along with two Army MIM-104 Patriot systems — was designed to showcase “the strength of America’s integrated air and missile defense and its commitment to joint operations,” the 18th Wing said in a statement that day.
“Working alongside our allies and partners, Kadena stands ready to project airpower throughout the region to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the wing’s commander, Brig Gen. Nicholas Evans, said in the statement.
All the aircraft involved operate from Kadena. The lineup included two dozen F-35A Lightning IIs; eight F-15E Strike Eagles; six HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters; six KC-135 Stratotankers; two MQ-9 Reaper drones; two MC-130J Commando IIs; two EA-18G Growlers; an RC-135 Rivet Joint; an E-3G Sentry; and a P-8 Poseidon.
Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army Patriot missile batteries take part in an elephant walk at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, May 6, 2025. (Tylir Meyer/U.S. Air Force)
Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army Patriot missile batteries take part in an elephant walk at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, May 6, 2025. (Nadine Barclay/U.S. Air Force)
The display coincided with a week of operational readiness training involving ground burst simulators, smoke canisters and mobilization drills — part of an effort to assess the base’s preparedness in concert with Japan’s defense forces.
Such exercises are routine but carry symbolic weight in the current strategic climate.
“An elephant walk like this sends a message you can’t ignore — it shows our airmen, allies, and adversaries that we’re united, capable, and ready,” the wing’s senior enlisted leader, Chief Master Sgt. Brandon Wolfgang, said in the statement.
The 18th Wing acknowledged but did not immediately provide answers to questions emailed on Wednesday.
Air Force photographs show fighters lined up in tight formation behind helicopters and drones, with larger aircraft positioned toward the rear and Patriot systems flanking the sides. In one image, an F-35A from Utah’s 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron lifts off after the formation.
The display came on the heels of new rotation deployments to Kadena. Since the drawdown of its aging F-15C/D fleet began in late 2022, the base has hosted a series of temporary squadrons to maintain air coverage. Recent arrivals include F-35As from Alaska and Utah, and F-15Es from North Carolina.
The Air Force announced last year that 36 F-15EX Eagle IIs will be permanently stationed at Kadena to replace the retired fighters. The new aircraft are expected to begin arriving between March and June 2026, Evans said in March.
