Kadena Air Base, Japan. (May 6, 2025): When the Air Force does the “Elephant Walk”, America’s enemies take notice. In this photo by Senior Master Sgt. Nadine Barclay, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft along with Army Patriot missile batteries line up on the runway for an elephant walk. The term elephant walk dates to World War II when large fleets of allied bombers would conduct attacks in missions containing 1,000 aircraft. Those who observed the taxiing of these large numbers of aircraft to take off in single file in nose-to-tail formations said that they looked like elephants walking to the next watering hole.
During a recent routine operational readiness exercise, Kadena Air Force Base showcased more than 100 aircraft taxiing right before takeoff in close formation. Doing the Elephant Walk not only demonstrates the U.S. military’s ability to act as a team, but it prepares squadrons for wartime operations and pilots to launch in one mass event.
The term was also used during Operations Linebacker and Linebacker II in the Vietnam War, as a nickname for the long lines of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft as they approached their targets.
The practice is also used by some aerobatic teams, like the Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds with aircraft taxiing in tight formation to the runway and maintaining such grouping during takeoff.
The Kadena display showcased the different aircraft the U.S. assembles for a serious air campaign. In the center of the formation, we see eight F-15E Strike Eagles surrounded by twenty-four F-35A fighters. Next to them are two Navy E/A-18G Growlers electronic warfare planes whose mission is to find and suppress air defense radars. Next to them are AWACs planes that act as command-and-control platforms and are the “eye in the sky” for the fleet. To keep all these assets flying is six KC-135s refueling tankers and two MC-130J special ops planes for search and rescue missions- a very impressive display.
To America’s enemies, the Elephant Walk sends a clear message, the U.S. is ready for action.