Countering Chinese Satellites: Japan to Build Air Defense Shelter in Okinawa in 2026

The Ministry of Defense of Japan plans to equip air bases with camouflage shelters for aircraft to protect them from detection by satellites.

The relevant information was published in the budget request for 2026.

According to the document, a shelter for fighter aircraft will be built at the Naha air base on the island of Okinawa, where F-15J/DJ fighters are currently based.

The construction cost is estimated at USD 96 million (14.4 billion yen).

These shelters are designed primarily to protect the aircraft from detection by satellite reconnaissance, which should make it impossible for China to detect, identify and count the number of aircraft at the airbase.

It will also allow concealing the exact number of deployed fighters, which, in turn, can provide an operational advantage.

At the same time, information about the protective properties of the shelters is not disclosed. It is not known whether they will provide protection against air strikes or attacks by FPV drones.

It is worth noting that today the Japan Self-Defense Air Force does not have separate specialized military airfields. Their aircraft are used mainly on the territory of joint airports with civilian airports.

In peacetime, this has its advantages, such as lower runway maintenance costs and the ability to integrate infrastructure. At the same time, in the event of war, such airfields do not have enough hangars to protect aircraft, so some aircraft are parked in the open or only under light protective shelters.

The emergence of such shelters has significantly improved fighter jet maintenance, which is now primarily focused on peacetime conditions.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense of Japan has launched exercises to disperse aircraft to other civilian airfields to increase its protection in the event of missile attacks.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the Japanese government said that in the event of the use of force against Taiwan, such as a naval blockade, Japan may recognize it as a “threat to existence” and, accordingly, “exercise collective self-defense.”