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In the
Fleet Air Force (厚木航空基地
Retrieved February 8, 2017
** Air Patrol Squadron 3 (
''Units attached to Naval District destroyer fleets''
*Kure District Fleet
**Komatsushima Air Squadron (SH-60J, Komatsushima Heliport)
*Ōminato District Fleet
**Ōminato Air Squadron (SH-60J, Ōminato Air Field)
**Ōminato Flight (UH-60J)
*Sasebo District Fleet
**Ōmura Air Squadron (SH-60J, Ōmura Air Base)
*Yokosuka District Fleet
**Shirase Flight (SH-60J,
In the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...
(JMSDF), the Fleet Air Force () is its naval aviation
Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases.
It often involves ''navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use.
Seab ...
branch, responsible for both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft and headquartered in Naval Air Facility Atsugi
is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato, Kanagawa, Yamato and Ayase, Kanagawa, Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean, and once housed ...
. As of 2012, it was equipped with over 200 fixed-wing aircraft and 150 helicopters. These aircraft operate from bases throughout Japan, as well as from the JMSDF's ships.
History
The JMSDF's first aircraft were 16Lockheed P2V Neptune
The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (designated P2V by the United States Navy prior to September 1962) is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and P ...
maritime patrol aircraft, which were provided to the force by the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
in 1956. The US Navy also provided Japan with 60 Grumman S-2 Tracker
The Grumman S-2 Tracker (S2F prior to 1962) is the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed and initially built by Grumman, the Tracker was of conventional ...
s from 1957. During the 1980s, the JMSDF's force of 82 Neptunes (most of which were the locally built Kawasaki P-2J variant) was replaced by about 100 Lockheed P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop Anti-submarine warfare, anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. It is based on the Lockheed ...
s. The JMSDF's first combat helicopters were the Mitsubishi HSS-2 (the Japanese variant of the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King). These helicopters were replaced by SH-60Js during the 1990s.
The JMSDF is the only force to operate minesweeping helicopters other than the US Navy. The first helicopters used for this purpose were eight V-107As. These helicopters were replaced by eleven MH-53Es during the 1990s. Seven MCH-101 helicopters have been ordered to replace the MH-53Es, of which five had been delivered by mid-2012.
The Diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
of Japan approved the modification of the ships of the ''Izumo-class'' to operate STOVL aircraft and in 2019 ordered 42 STOVL Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic Stealth aircraft, stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both Air superiority fighter, air superiority and att ...
s. The US Marine Corps will at first operate in cooperation their own F-35Bs to build up a Japanese capability to operate this type. The Asahi Shimbun
is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan.
The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...
quotes Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya
is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party. He is a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet, or national legislature, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served as the Minister of Defense from 2 October 2018 to 11 ...
“The Izumo-class aircraft carrier role is to strengthen the air defense in the Pacific Ocean and to ensure the safety of the Self-Defense Force pilots.” He also states, “There may be no runway available for the US aircraft in an emergency. I cannot say that the US F-35B should never be placed on an MSDFescort vessel.” The current plan is for 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 ...
to operate the aircraft once delivered.
Equipment
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force aviation maintains a large naval air force, including 201 fixed-wing aircraft and 145 helicopters. Most of these aircraft are used in anti-submarine warfare operations.Current organization
The organization of the JMSDF's aviation units is based on that of the US Navy. The main organizational units are ''Koku Shudan'' ( air groups), ''Kokugun'' (air wing
In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group (ar ...
s), ''Kōkūtai
A ''kōkūtai'' () was a military aviation unit in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS), similar to the Group (military aviation unit), air groups in other air arms and services of the time. Some comparable units included ''wing'' in th ...
'' ( air squadrons) and '' Hikōtai'' (flight
Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...
s).
As at mid-2012, the structure of the JMSDF's aviation units was as follows:
Fleet Air Force (Atsugi Air Base
is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato, Kanagawa, Yamato and Ayase, Kanagawa, Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean, and once housed ...
)
*Fleet Air Wing 1 ( Kanoya Air Field)
**Air Patrol Squadron 1 (P-3C Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. It is based on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner by Lockheed; it is ea ...
, Kawasaki P-1
The Kawasaki P-1, previously P-X, XP-1, is a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft developed and manufactured by Kawasaki Aerospace Company. Unlike many maritime patrol aircraft, which are typically conversions of civilian designs, the P-1 is a purpo ...
)
**Maintenance and Supply Squadron 1
**Air Station Squadron Kanoya
*Fleet Air Wing 2 ( Hachinohe Air Base)
**Air Patrol Squadron 2 (P-3C Orion)
**Maintenance and Supply Squadron 2
**Air Station Squadron Hachinohe
*Fleet Air Wing 4
A Patrol Wing (PatWing) was a United States Navy aviation unit with the commander of a Patrol Wing known as the Commodore, the ComPatWing or COMPATWING. From 1 November 1942 to 30 June 1973 Patrol Wings were designated "Fleet Air Wings". On 26 ...
(Atsugi Air Base
is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato, Kanagawa, Yamato and Ayase, Kanagawa, Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean, and once housed ...
)Retrieved February 8, 2017
Kawasaki P-1
The Kawasaki P-1, previously P-X, XP-1, is a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft developed and manufactured by Kawasaki Aerospace Company. Unlike many maritime patrol aircraft, which are typically conversions of civilian designs, the P-1 is a purpo ...
)
**Maintenance and Supply Squadron 4
**Air Station Squadron Atsugi
**Air Station Iwoto
***Auxiliary Air Facility Minamitorishima
sometimes Minami-Tori-shima or Minami-Torishima, also known as Marcus Island, is an isolated Islands of Japan, Japanese coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, located some southeast of Tokyo and east of the closest Japanese island, Sout ...
*Fleet Air Wing 5 (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 ...
)
**Air Patrol Squadron 5 (P-3C Orion)
**Maintenance and Supply Squadron 5
**Air Station Squadron Naha
*Fleet Air Wing 21 (Tateyama Air Base
is a military aerodrome of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is located outside the city of Tateyama in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, at the southern tip of the Bōsō Peninsula.It also has a shorter runway because the airbase is only used ...
)
**Air ASW Helicopter Squadron 21 (JMSDF Tateyama Air Base SH-60J/K)
**Air ASW Helicopter Squadron 23 (JMSDF Maizuru Helipoat SH-60J/K)
**Air ASW Helicopter Squadron 25 (JMSDF Ōminato Base
The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...
SH-60J/K)
**Helicopter Rescue Squadron 73 (Tateyama Air Base UH-60J
The Mitsubishi H-60 series is a twin-turboshaft engine helicopter based on the Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter family for use by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF).
The SH-60J/K/L are anti-submarine patrol versions for the Japan Maritime Self-Defe ...
)
***Helicopter Rescue Detachment Ominato
***Helicopter Rescue Detachment Iwoto
**Maintenance and Supply Squadron 21
**Air Station Squadron Tateyama
*Fleet Air Wing 22 (Omura Air Base Omura (小村) or Ōmura (大村) are Japanese surnames, but may also refer to:
* Ōmura, Nagasaki, a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
* Ōmura clan, a clan of samurai of Medieval Japan of the province of Hizen
* Omura's whale (''Balaenop ...
)
**Air ASW Helicopter Squadron 22 (Omura Air Base SH-60J/K)
**Air ASW Helicopter Squadron 24 (Komatsushima Air Base SH-60J/K)
**Air Rescue Helicopter Squadron 72 (Omura Air Base UH-60J)
***Helicopter Rescue Detachment Kanoya
***Helicopter Rescue Detachment Tokushima
**Maintenance and Supply Squadron 22
**Air Station Squadron Omura
*Fleet Air Wing 31 (Iwakuni Air Base
is a joint Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces and United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki River, Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the Municipality of Japan, city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan ...
)
**Air Rescue Squadron 71 (Atsugi Air Base US-1A, US-2)
**Air Reconnaissance Squadron 81 (Iwakuni Air Base EP-3, OP-3C)
**Air Training Support Squadron 91 (Iwakuni Air Base UP-3D, U-36A)
**Maintenance and Supply Squadron 31
**Drone Maintenance Squadron
**Air Station Squadron Iwakuni
*Air Development Squadron 51
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...
(Atsugi Air Base
is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato, Kanagawa, Yamato and Ayase, Kanagawa, Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean, and once housed ...
)
* Air Transport Squadron 61 (Atsugi Air Base C-130R, LC-90)
* Mine Countermeasures Helicopter Squadron 111 (Iwakuni Air Base MCH-101)
*Air Repair Squadron 1 ( Kanoya Air Field)
*Air Repair Squadron 2 (Hachinohe Air Base)
*Air Control Service Group (Atsugi Air Base)
*Mobile Construction Group (Hachinohe Air Base)
''Units attached to Naval District destroyer fleets''
*Kure District Fleet
**Komatsushima Air Squadron (SH-60J, Komatsushima Heliport)
*Ōminato District Fleet
**Ōminato Air Squadron (SH-60J, Ōminato Air Field)
**Ōminato Flight (UH-60J)
*Sasebo District Fleet
**Ōmura Air Squadron (SH-60J, Ōmura Air Base)
*Yokosuka District Fleet
**Shirase Flight (SH-60J, Tateyama Air Base
is a military aerodrome of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is located outside the city of Tateyama in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, at the southern tip of the Bōsō Peninsula.It also has a shorter runway because the airbase is only used ...
)
Air Training Command
*Shimofusa Air Training Group (Shimofusa Air Base
, officially Shimohusa Air Base, is a military aerodrome of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is located east of Matsudo, Chiba, Matsudo in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The base straddles the border between Kashiwa, Chiba, Kashiwa and Kama ...
)
**203 Air Training Squadron (P-3C)
**205 Air Training Squadron (no aircraft)
*Tokushima Air Training Group (Tokushima Airport
is a joint civil-military public airport in Matsushige, Tokushima, Japan, near the city of Tokushima.
In addition to scheduled passenger operations, the airport is the base of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Tokushima Air Training Group ...
)
**202 Air Training Squadron (Beechcraft TC-90 King Air, Beechcraft UC-90 King Air)
*Ozuki Air Training Group (Ozuki Air Field
is a military aerodrome of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force . It is located in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asia ...
)
**201 Air Training Squadron (Fuji T-5
The Fuji T-5 or KM-2Kai is a Japanese turboprop-driven primary trainer aircraft, which is a development of the earlier Fuji KM-2. The student and the instructor sit side-by-side.
Design and development
The Fuji T-5 was developed by Fuji Heavy I ...
)
***211 Air Training Squadron ( OH-6D, OH-6DA, SH-60J, Eurocopter TH-135)
See also
*Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
The (IJNAS) was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.
The Japanese military acquired its first aircraft in ...
References
{{reflist Japanese military aviation Units and formations of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Military units and formations established in 1961Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...