The 304th Tactical Fighter Squadron () is a squadron of the 9th Air Wing of the

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the Aerial warfare, air and space warfare, space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and ...

. It is based at

Naha Air Base , formally known as the , is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport on the Oroku Peninsula in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. History Imperial Period Naha Air ...

, in

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

, Japan. It is equipped with

Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ The McDonnell Douglas - Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather Fighter aircraft, air superiority fighter based on the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle in use by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The F-15J was produced under ...

and

Kawasaki T-4 The Kawasaki T-4 is a Japanese subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft developed and manufactured by the commercial conglomerate Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Its sole operator is the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), in part due to historic ...

aircraft. Thompson, Pau
JASDF – Squadron Histories
''J-HangarSpace'' Retrieved September 21, 2017

History

The squadron was founded on August 1, 1977 at Tsuiki Air Base in

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...

flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ. A number of the early pilots had previously flown the North American F-86F Sabre with 10th Squadron, which had just been disbanded. During this period the JASDF still followed a system in which the numbering of a squadron was dependent on the type of aircraft it operated. Single digit squadrons operated the F-86F, 100-numbered squadrons operated the F-86D, 200-numbered squadrons operated the F-104J and the new squadrons operating the F-4 were numbered in the 300s. The pilots retrained on the F-4 and from 1978 were responsible for

Quick Reaction Alert Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) is state of Combat readiness, readiness and ''modus operandi'' of Anti-aircraft warfare, air defence maintained at all hours of the day by NATO air forces. The United States usually refers to Quick Reaction Alert as 'Ai ...

duties around Fukuoka. In January 2016, the squadron relocated to

as part of the newly-formed 9th Air Wing.F-15s transferred to Okinawa base to strengthen defense against China February 1, 2016
''

Mainichi Shimbun The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...

'' Retrieved September 21, 2017

Tail marking

The squadron's aircraft bear the likeness of a

tengu ''Tengu'' ( ; , , ) are a type of legendary creature found in Shinto belief. They are considered a type of ''yōkai'' (supernatural beings) or Shinto ''kami'' (gods or spirits). The ''Tengu'' were originally thought to take the forms of bird of ...

on their tails. Tengu are

goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monster, monstrous humanoid creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearan ...

-like creatures from Japanese mythology. Known for their skill with swords and possession of mystical powers, they were said to inhabit Mount Hiko in Fukuoka, located near the squadron's original base at Tsuiki.

Aircraft operated

Fighter aircraft

* McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ (1977–1990) *

(1990–present)

Liaison aircraft

Lockheed T-33 The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

A (1977–1993) *

(1991–present)

References