The US Air Force's 18th Wing reported that the incident occurred on 4/8, when an F-15E Strike Eagle experienced a landing gear malfunction upon landing at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The two pilots were unharmed, and the extent of the damage to the aircraft is unknown.

Images published on Airliners show the F-15E, tail number 490, with its airbrake deployed, decelerating on the Kadena runway. The right main landing gear is missing a wheel, causing the remaining components to create sparks on the runway. The fighter jet appeared to land without needing to use its arresting hook for an emergency stop.

A US F-15E fighter jet sparks on the runway at Kadena Air Base, Japan, on 8/4. Photo: Airliners

A US F-15E fighter jet sparks on the runway at Kadena Air Base, Japan, on 8/4. Photo: Airliners

The 18th Wing stated that the missing right main landing gear assembly was found at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, the fighter jet's point of departure and approximately 7,000 km from Kadena Air Base. The pilots only discovered the missing wheel while en route to Japan.

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a multirole fighter jet developed by the US in the 1980s, based on the design of the two-seat F-15B heavy fighter.

This version boasts enhanced ground-attack capabilities with high precision, expanding its role beyond the air-to-air combat focus of the original F-15. It's capable of deep-strike missions within enemy airspace without relying on electronic warfare aircraft or fighter escorts.

In mid-May, the US deployed several F-15E fighters stationed in the Pacific to Diego Garcia to address a perceived threat from Iran. These fighters began returning to their bases in Japan after tensions in the Middle East de-escalated.

Nguyen Tien (AFP, AP, Defense News)