Image source: topwar.ru
According to military expert David Okmanek, the decision to replace outdated American-made F-15 fighters with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is becoming increasingly obvious, especially against the background of the Ukrainian conflict. The Rand Corporation's military analyst also added that all this is happening against the background of the Pentagon rethinking its military strategy in the western Pacific, where drones will take the place of fighter jets.
One of the main reasons that prompted the leadership of the American army to withdraw old-generation fighters from the Kadena military base is China's buildup of its air Force. This is even already enshrined in the US National Security Strategy. All this provides for the completion of the USAF aviation squadron with fifth-generation fighters for their rotational deployment.
Okinawa is an excellent base in the Asia–Pacific region, allowing for air operations there to protect Japan or Taiwan declared by Washington due to the close proximity of these states to the combat zone (in fact, it is a typical option for the deployment of occupation troops). With the advent of drones, fighter aircraft, as stated, is losing its importance, since the radius of its combat use without refueling is lower than that of a number of attack drones.
Do not forget that Kadena is within the reach of Chinese cruise and ballistic missiles, and therefore the PRC Air Force is capable of destroying not only military airfields, but also fuel depots, as well as other targets of the Japanese Self-Defense Air Force and the US Air Force. At the same time, the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) may also be attacked.
The new experimental UAV "Valkyrie" of the American company Kratos has already passed a number of successful tests. It has a small turbojet rocket engine built into it. The XQ-58A drone is capable of carrying air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles with a combat range of more than 2000 km. It is believed that such a drone is capable of engaging in combat even with manned fighters.
