An F-15E Strike Eagle taxis down the runway after arriving at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, on April 6, 2025. (Karina Lopez/U.S. Air Force)
An F-15E Strike Eagle deployed to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa lost a tire while taxiing on the runway Thursday, according to the 18th Wing.
The multirole fighter was conducting a taxi check when it experienced a “tire malfunction,” wing spokeswoman Maj. Alli Stormer said in an email Friday. She did not identify the squadron or the specific mission the aircraft was supporting.
“The situation was safely resolved with no injuries or significant damage,” she said without elaborating.
Local broadcaster Okinawa TV reported that the aircraft’s left rear tire detached and rolled into the grass beside the runway, causing the jet to tilt to one side. The report cited unnamed witnesses and an uncredited photo.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m., a spokesman for the Okinawa Defense Bureau said by phone Friday. The bureau, part of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, is seeking more information from the Air Force and plans to update the local community accordingly, the spokesman added.
Tire issues have occurred at Kadena before. On Oct. 18, two F-22 Raptors experienced problems — one had two tire failures while landing, and another suffered a tire malfunction before takeoff, according to the wing.
Twelve F-15Es from the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., arrived at Kadena for a rotational deployment on April 6, a bureau spokesman said by phone Monday.
They deployed alongside F-35A Lightning IIs from the 355th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
Some Japanese government officials may speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
Since the Air Force began phasing out Kadena’s aging fleet of F-15C/D fighters in late 2022, the base has relied on rotating squadrons of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft — including F-35As, F-15Es, F-22s and F-16 Fighting Falcons — to maintain its air-defense mission.
In July, the Air Force announced plans to permanently station 36 F-15EX Eagle IIs at Kadena to replace the retired F-15C/D fleet. The new fighters are expected to begin arriving between March and June 2026, Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans, commander of the 18th Wing, told reporters last month.
Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report.
