US Air Force’s massive 53-aircraft runway exercise ‘sends a message you can’t ignore’ to rivals like China

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US Air Force’s massive 53-aircraft runway exercise ‘sends a message you can’t ignore’ to rivals like China

Fighter jets, rescue helicopters, and spy planes taxiied the runway at Kadena Air Base.

The massive aircraft display “sends a message you can’t ignore,” a senior enlisted leader said.

Dozens of fighter jets, military helicopters, and Patriot missile defense systems lined the runway at a US Air Force base, which could be the largest “elephant walk” ever in Japan.

The “elephant walk” exercise at

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in Okinawa, Japan, was part of a broader capability demonstration, showcasing US military airpower as China’s growing military presence fuels tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

Here are the various military aircraft and assets featured in the exercise, which drills airmen on readying large numbers of aircraft to take off in rapid succession.

What is an elephant walk?

US Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers line up on a flightline during an elephant walk at Kadena Air Base.US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonathan R. Sifuentes

Dating back to World War II, the term “elephant walk” referred to the taxiing of military aircraft en masse before taking off in single-file formations like a herd of elephants walking trunk-to-tail.

Elephant walks not only demonstrate

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and readiness but also train military pilots in wartime operations that involve launching a large number of sorties in a short ******* of time.

Third-largest elephant walk in Air Force history

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US Air Force, Army, and Navy aircraft and equipment line up on a runway for an elephant walk at Kadena Air Base.US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tylir Meyer

Elephant walks typically involve a large number of aircraft, and the Kadena Air Base event on Okinawa was no exception — 53 Air Force and Navy aircraft, as well as two Army Patriot air defense batteries, participated in the runway display.

The elephant walk could be the largest to ever take place in Japan, nearly twice the size of last year’s 33-aircraft display at the base, which featured F-22 Raptors and

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.

The Kadena elephant walk is among the largest ever by the US Air Force, outnumbering an elephant walk in 2020 at Hill Air Force Base in Utah that only featured F-35A Lightning II aircraft.

In April 2023, 80 aircraft were displayed in an elephant walk at

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in Texas.

At

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in North Carolina, a 70-aircraft demonstration consisted of only F-15E Strike Eagles, making it the largest single-type elephant walk.

Rescue helicopters, drones, and fighter jets

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Two Patriot missile launchers were stationed on the sides of the runway.US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tylir Meyer

Fighter jets made up more than half of the elephant walk, with 24

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, eight F-15Es, and two Navy EA-18 Growlers.

Six HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters led the herd, along with two MQ-9 Reaper drones, which are used for surveillance and precision strikes.

Cargo planes, tankers, and spy planes

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The closest aircraft seen is an E-3G Sentry radar surveillance aircraft, which has a circular radar dome mounted above its fuselage.US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tylir Meyer

Two

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special operations cargo planes and six KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft brought up the rear of the formation.

Three

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also made an appearance in the elephant walk — one E-3G Sentry radar surveillance aircraft, one RC-135 Rivet Joint signals intelligence aircraft, and one P-8 Poseidon operated by the Navy for maritime patrol and reconnaissance.

The formation was flanked by two US Army MIM-104

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, which have proven to be vital assets in the US’ air defense strategy against ******** missile threats.

Exercise Beverly Herd

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US Air Force aircraft line up on the flight line for an elephant walk during a routine readiness exercise at Kadena Air Base.US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Amy Kelley

The airpower demonstration on Okinawa was an iteration of Exercise Beverly Herd, an annual military exercise that prepares US and allied forces for combat in the

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Aside from the elephant walk, rescue and maintenance squadrons stationed at Kadena also practiced surveilling damage on an airfield, and Air Force civil engineers worked with Navy specialists to remove simulated unexploded ordnance from the runway.

At Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, about 11 miles from Kadena, F-35 fighter squadrons from Eielson Air Force Base are also training in warfighting concepts and maneuvers focused on

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, which is designed to increase lethality and survivability in combat.

‘A message you can’t ignore’

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US Air Force airmen marshal aircraft on a runway next to an F-15E Strike Eagle.US Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Nadine Barclay

The military exercises come as

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escalates its military presence in the Pacific over Taiwan, the self-governing island which Beijing claims as its own.

“An elephant walk like this sends a message you can’t ignore,” Chief Master Sgt. Brandon Wolfgang, 18th Wing command chief master sergeant, said in a statement. “It shows our Airmen, allies, and adversaries that we’re united, capable, and ready.”

China’s rapid military build-up has been fueling tension with other US allies on the

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, which includes Japan and the Philippines. The latter nation also has ongoing territorial disputes with China, primarily in the South China Sea.

Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific

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A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker taxis down the flightline for an elephant walk at Kadena Air Base.US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Micaiah Anthony

The Beverly Herd exercises were among a series of military drills the US and its allies are hosting in the Indo-Pacific theater to counter growing ******** aggression in the region.

Earlier this month, the US and the Philippines held a joint exercise,

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, at a strategic chokepoint south of Taiwan. China criticized the military drills, accusing the US and the Philippines of using Taiwan as an excuse to “provoke tension and confrontation.”

“This kind of teamwork and presence is exactly how we maintain deterrence in the Indo-Pacific,” Wolfgang said of the Kadena elephant walk.

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#Air #Forces #massive #53aircraft #runway #exercise #sends #message #ignore #rivals #China

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