The is a tanker squadron of the 1st Tactical Airlift Group 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 ...

based at

Komaki Air Base , also known as Komaki Airport or Nagoya Airport, is an airport within the local government areas of Toyoyama, Komaki, Kasugai and Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Prior to 2005 it was an international airport, but is now a domestic secon ...

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

, Japan. It is equipped with four

Boeing KC-767J The Boeing KC-767 is a military aerial refueling tanker and Military transport aircraft, transport aircraft developed from the Boeing 767, Boeing 767-200ER. The tanker received the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system, des ...

aircraft.

History

While most JASDF units rarely travel outside Japan, since the squadron's establishment in 2009 its aircraft have travelled outside Japan on exercises, transport missions and displays at airshows on a number of occasions.

Exercises

Aircraft from the squadron have participated in

Red Flag – Alaska Red Flag-Alaska is a realistic, ten-day air combat United States Air Force (USAF) training exercise held up to four times a year. It is held at Eielson Air Force Base and Elmendorf Air Force Base in the State of Alaska. Each ''Red Flag-Alaska' ...

including in the 2014-2 and 2015-3 editions. They have also participated in the

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 ...

exercise held in

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 ...

, beginning in 2013 and including the 2015 and 2017 exercises. In July 2017 it performed training flights with the

Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, supersonic, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Syste ...

s of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Operational deployments

In November 2013 the squadron dispatched an aircraft to the Philippines in the wake of

Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among List of the most intense tropical cyclones, the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon ...

. The aircraft transported medical equipment and relief supplies from

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

. In December 2014 an aircraft of the squadron carried 20,000 protective suits to

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

during the Ebola epidemic. Another 680,000 suits were to be delivered by commercial aircraft.

Airshows

While it has not been common for Japan Self-Defense Force aircraft to appear at airshows outside Japan, The KC-767Js of the squadron have appeared at international air shows on many occasions, usually as a static display. Japanese KC-767Js have appeared at the 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017 editions of the

Royal International Air Tattoo The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world's largest military airshow, held annually in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. The show typically attracts a to ...

in the UK. The squadron's aircraft have appeared at the

Australian International Airshow The Australian International Airshow, also called the Avalon Airshow, is a large air show held biennially at Avalon Airport, between Melbourne and Geelong in Victoria. The event has a strong focus on military aviation, featuring aircraft from ...

, marking the JASDF's debut at that show in 2013, and also appeared in 2015 and 2017.Australian International Airshow 2017 Aircraft Display
Retrieved September 18, 2017

Tail markings

Black horse tail marking of a 404th Tactical Airlift Tanker Squadron Japan Air Self-Defense Force KC-767J

Aircraft of the squadron bear tail markings of a black horse's head with a flowing yellow mane.

Aircraft operated

(2009-）

References

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