On September 23, Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35 and F-15 fighter jets were deployed to intercept a Russian Ilyushin-38 maritime patrol aircraft. Sources from East Asian countries said that the aircraft violated its airspace three times, each time for one minute and thirty seconds, and then again One minute. The fighter jets issued radio warnings and then deployed flares, which emitted heat and light to warn intruder aircraft. A statement from Japan's Defense Ministry said it was “the first time Japan has used flares as part of law enforcement measures against airspace violations.” The Il-38 was suspected of tracking a Japanese submarine in nearby waters and was reportedly deploying a sonobuoy at the time of the incident. The Il-38N is capable of tracking up to 32 surface and underwater targets and has been delivered to the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet as a priority. Japanese submarines are widely considered to be among the quietest in the world, and their use of lithium-ion batteries is a revolutionary first for the country. The two fighter jets with the highest export costs since then. The country's order of 105 F-35s is expected to significantly increase pressure on Russia's defenses in the country's Far East, with the fighter jets well-optimized for penetrating strikes in heavily guarded airspace. Japan's large order for the aircraft is largely spurred by neighboring China's rapid progress in developing its own fifth-generation stealth aircraft, the J-20. At the same time as the Japanese acquisitions, the United States also made acquisitions. target=”_blank”>Significant increase F-35 deployments in Japan, the only foreign country to deploy F-35s target=”_blank”>U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.