Japan, U.S. to have first joint exercise involving F-22A fighters

The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF)'s fighter jets and the Japan-based U.S. Air Force's F-22A stealth fighters will participate in a joint exercise in airspace around Okinawa on Thursday and Friday, Japanese defense ministry officials said on Monday.

The drill, which will be the first between Japan and the United States involving the state-of-art F-22A, is aimed at learning the capabilities of the F-22A, testing the ASDF's latest tactics, and improving the interoperability of the ASDF and the U.S. Air Force, officials said.

Ten to 18 fighter jets will take part in the drill.

The U.S. forces deployed 12 F-22A fighters at its Kadena Air Base in southern Japan's Okinawa prefecture since Feb. 17. The deployment, which is expected to continue through may, was the new type of jets' first trip outside the United States.

Source: Xinhua