The US Marines are deploying an F-35B squadron in Japan for the first time, reinforcing their air strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
The deployment of VMFA-214, the first squadron of F-35B Lightning IIs from the American continent to Japan, marks a major operational shift in Marine Corps aviation. This integration into the Indo-Pacific theater is part of a broader strategy of distributed air power projection, supported by concepts such as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO). The gradual replacement of F/A-18 and AV-8B aircraft with fifth-generation F-35Bs is intended to increase the resilience, mobility and strike capability of US forces in a geopolitically highly charged area.
The deployment of VMFA-214 to Japan: an operational shift
On March 8, 2025, VMFA-214, nicknamed the Black Sheep, was deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, as part of the Unit Deployment Program (UDP). This squadron, originally based in Yuma, Arizona, is the first F-35B unit to be sent from the continental United States to East Asia.
This move is part of a US strategy to adjust its air posture in the Indo-Pacific. A squadron of this type is equipped with around 16 F-35Bs. This deployment extends the operational capabilities of Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) and strengthens interoperability with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW), which is responsible for air operations in this area.
The Indo-Pacific is an increasingly central theater in US force projections, due to growing friction with China over Taiwan, the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, and strategic trade routes. In 2024, more than 60% of the world’s maritime tonnage transited through this area. The installation of F-35Bs thus strengthens the responsiveness and deterrent capacity of the Marines in the face of regional crisis scenarios.
The F-35B: a projection tool adapted to the Indo-Pacific
The F-35B Lightning II, developed by Lockheed Martin, is the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) version of the F-35. This configuration allows operations from austere bases, semi-prepared runways, light aircraft carriers or forward operating bases, thus meeting the logistical constraints of a dispersed war in the Asian archipelago.
Technically, the F-35B is 15.7 meters long, with a wingspan of 10.7 meters and a maximum speed of Mach 1.6 (approximately 1,975 km/h). It has a range of 833 kilometers with internal armament allowing for stealth, including in particular:
- GBU-53/B StormBreaker bombs (tri-mode guidance)
- AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles
- AGM-154 JSOW air-to-ground missiles
The average unit cost of the F-35B is around 101 million euros, excluding maintenance costs. The operating cost is estimated at €20,000 per flight hour, a high amount but offset by the versatility of the sensor system (AESA AN/APG-81 radar, EOTS electro-optical system, AN/ASQ-239 electronic warfare sensors, etc.).
This deployment makes it possible to test the operational compatibility of the F-35B in real regional conditions, to carry out joint missions with the Japanese (JASDF) or Australian forces, and to simulate strike scenarios in contested environments.
Geostrategic consequences of the shift to F-35Bs in the Indo-Pacific
This redeployment is in response to a gradual reconfiguration of American air doctrines in the area. The Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept aims to disperse air capabilities over multiple, light and mobile sites, to prevent massive bases from becoming fixed targets for hypersonic or ballistic missiles.
In this context, the F-35Bs, which are autonomous on small runways, can relocate their operations on a daily basis, making any pre-emptive strike by the enemy more complex. The Marines are therefore focusing on increased operational agility, reinforced by the networking of platforms and sensors via architectures such as Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2).
Faced with China’s military rise – whose defense spending reached 233 billion euros in 2024, according to SIPRI – the United States is seeking to maintain a credible balance of power in the Western Pacific. The Chinese army now has more than 2,000 ballistic and cruise missiles capable of striking air infrastructures as far away as Guam. The positioning of the F-35Bs in Iwakuni is part of an active deterrence strategy, reducing response times and increasing stealth radar coverage around sensitive areas.
In the medium term, the Marines plan to completely retire the F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier by 2030, in favor of an exclusively F-35 force. This move is accompanied by an adaptation of infrastructure and munitions logistics, and an increase in STOVL pilot training.
Prospects and limits of the Marines’ technological shift
This technological change also brings with it financial, human and operational constraints. The cost of the F-35 program, already in excess of 1.6 trillion euros over its life cycle, raises issues of budget sustainability. Spare parts and logistical support are subject to complex supply chains, and actual operational availability rates struggle to exceed 60%, according to the US Government Accountability Office.
Furthermore, opposing forces are developing more effective anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems, such as the Chinese DF-26 missile (range of 4,000 km). It is therefore necessary for the F-35Bs to be constantly repositioned, with agile logistical support to maintain a credible strike capability.
Finally, pilot training is a challenge: it takes an average of 18 months to train an operational F-35B pilot, compared to 12 months for an F/A-18 pilot previously. This factor impacts the rate at which squadrons increase their real capacity.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.