US Air Force's massive 53-aircraft runway exercise 'sends a message you can't ignore' to rivals like China
Story by lfrias@businessinsider.com (Lauren Frias) • 12h
US Air Force's massive 53-aircraft runway exercise 'sends a message you can't ignore' to rivals like China
©U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tylir Meyer
A 53-aircraft exercise put US military airpower on display in Japan earlier this week.
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 Kadena Air Base 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.
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