The 303rd Tactical Fighter Squadron () is a squadron of the

6th Air Wing Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixth ...

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 ...

(JSDF) based at

Komatsu Air Base is an international airport located west southwest of Komatsu Station in the city of Komatsu, Ishikawa, Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest airport in the Hokuriku region and serves the southern portion of Ishikawa Prefectur ...

, in

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

, 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 – Order of Battle July 1, 2017
''J-HangarSpace'' Retrieved September 21, 2017Thompson, Pau
JASDF – Squadron Histories
''J-HangarSpace'' Retrieved September 21, 2017

History

The squadron was formed as the third of the JASDF's McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ Phantom II squadrons. It replaced the 4th Squadron, which had been equipped with North American F-86F Sabres, and was formed using some of the personnel from the 4th squadron. At the time the JASDF's squadron numbering system was dependent on the aircraft model used. There was a gap between the disbanding of the 4th and the founding of the 303rd due to discussions with the local community near the base about the F-4s being based there. On June 17, 1977, the squadron began

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 ...

(QRA) flights. There were many intercepts of the regular "

Tokyo Express The Tokyo Express was the name given by Allied forces to the use of Imperial Japanese Navy ships at night to deliver personnel, supplies, and equipment to Japanese forces operating in and around New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the ...

" flights by Soviet aircraft such as

Tupolev Tu-95 The Tupolev Tu-95 (; NATO reporting name: "Bear") is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. Maiden flight, First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Soviet Long Range Aviation, Long-Range Avia ...

and

Myasishchev M-4 The Myasishchev M-4 ''Molot'' (), USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 37", Air Standardization Coordinating Committee, ASCC reporting name Bison) was a four-engined strategic bomber designed by Myasishchev, Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev and manufa ...

bombers over the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

. Some of them were transiting to or from the Soviet Union's

Cam Ranh Base Cam Ranh Air Force Base is located on Cam Ranh Bay in Khánh Hòa province, Vietnam. It was one of several air bases built and used by the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War. Cam Ranh Air Force Base was part of the large Ca ...

in southern Vietnam. During a QRA on June 27, 1980, a

Tu-16 Badger The Tupolev Tu-16 (USAF/DOD reporting name Type 39; NATO reporting name: Badger) is a twin-engined jet strategic heavy bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has been flown for almost 70 years. While many aircraft in Soviet service were retired af ...

of the

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

on a Tokyo Express flight crashed near

in the

. There were no survivors. The remains of three crew members were recovered by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship ''Nemuro''. On December 1, 1987, the squadron re-equipped with F-15J/DJ aircraft. It was the first F-4 squadron to re-equip with the F-15. Unlike many JASDF fighter squadrons, it has been located at the same base for its entire existence. On 22 November 1995 F-15J ''02-8919'' flown by Lieutenant Tatsumi Higuchi was shot down by an AIM-9L Sidewinder missile accidentally fired by his wingman during air-intercept training over the Sea of Japan. The pilot ejected safely. Davies and Didly 2007, p. 245 The squadron participated in the US military exercise

Cope North Cope North is an annual multinational military exercise taking place in and around Guam. The first exercise took place in 1978. In 2016 in addition to US, Japanese and Australian forces South Korea, the Philippines and New Zealand New Z ...

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

in 2000 and in the exercise Red Flag - Alaska in 2009, 2011 and 2012. During the 2011 exercise it carried out bilateral exercises with the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

(RAAF) for the first time, flying with

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, fighter and attack airc ...

s of the RAAF's No. 3 Squadron. In July 2018 aircraft of the squadron trained in Japanese airspace with US

B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Ai ...

bombers.

Tail markings

Originally the squadron's tail marking was of the

's red, white and blue marking. In 1981 the tail marking changed to be that of a dragon inside a stylized "6". The squadron's

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

is "dragon", and in addition the dragon depicted in the tail marking is said to be the protector of

Mount Haku , or Mount Hakusan (commonly referred to as simply Hakusan), is a dormant stratovolcano in Japan. It is located on the borders of Gifu and Ishikawa, on the island of Honshu. Mount Haku is thought to have first been active 300,000 to 400,000 y ...

, which is not far from the base.

In popular culture

The squadron appeared in the 1993 anime film '' Patlabor 2: The Movie'', the 2004 video game ''

Drakengard ''Drakengard'', known in Japan as is a series of action role-playing video games originally developed by Cavia (company), Cavia and published by Square Enix. The Drakengard (video game), eponymous first game in the series was released in 2003 ...

'', the 2006 anime series ''

Yomigaeru Sora – Rescue Wings is a Japanese anime television series animated by J.C.Staff which aired on TV Tokyo from January to March 2006. The main character is 2nd Lieutenant Uchida Kazuhiro, a helicopter pilot in a search and rescue wing of the Japan Air Self De ...

'' and the 2007 film '' Midnight Eagle''.

Aircraft operated

Japan air self defense force Kawasaki T-4 303SQ RJNK

Fighter aircraft

* McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ Phantom II (1976–1987) *

Mitsubishi F-15J The McDonnell Douglas - Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather 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 license by Mitsubi ...

(1987–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 (1976–1994) *

(1992–present)

References

Bibliography

* {{Japan Air Self-Defense Force Units of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force