Some infos. for 2018.
<General>
1. Usually, the JASDF release their open house schedule at around 20th March every year.
2. Usually, the JGSDF release their open house schedule at early March, because they open their camps at the season of the cherry blossoms(early April).
3. Usually, the JMSDF release their open house schedule about 1-2 month before the event.
4. JASDF/JGSDF/JMSDF are "holiday" on Sat. and Sun. and the National holidays in Japan(Please check the holidays of this year).
There are no activities except routine maritime patrol, exercise, emergency and /or some special missions.
5. There are also No activities on these days;
1) The day of the local school examinations.
2) The day of the Flying Safety which is usually 1st. Jul..
3) The year-end and 1st week of the new year(usually, around 25 Dec to 6 Jan.)
4) "O-bon" period, usually around 12 Aug. to 16 Aug..
5) The next day of the airshow or the open house day, except the transportation flight.
6. There are quite less flight from the 3nd. week of March to the The 1st. week of April(around 15 March to 3-4 April).
The end of March marks the end of the financial year in Japan. They used up their budget for the year, and maybe busy to write up /finish their paper-works.
They are also busy for the first few days of April, because new finacial year starts 1 Apr. in Japan
This means a lot of "old" organaization close on 31 Mar. and establish "new" organization on 1 Apr.. There are a lot of personnel movements, and relative ceremonies at this season.
7. Please check the NOTAM at this site before you visit to the airbase;
https://aisjapan.mlit.go.jp/Login.do
You' ll be able to get the time schedule of the mass flight, para-drop, and aerobatic
flights etc., for the airshow training.
8. Step ladder regulations
Almost all the JASDF bases have made regulations for the step ladders at the airshow.
They are different from each airbases and changing year by year.
1) You CAN NOT bring it into the base : Iruma, Hamamatsu(2017) , Komatsu(2018) and Tsuiki.
2) You can bring it into the base, but prohibit to use during the airshow(especially B.I. show); Chiose and Hyakuri
3) You can bring it into the base, but requested minimum use; Other JASDF base, JMSDF air base and JGSDF air fields.
<JASDF>
1. One fighter squadron usually has 3 training periods in one day from 0800am to 1700pm.
And they sometimes has "Night" training at the 4th period(1700pm or later).
2. F-35As;
JASDF formed up "Rinji F-35A Hikotai" on 1 Dec., 2017 at Misawa AB.
They have one T-4 86-5769 and nine F-35As now (5 arrived from US on 28 May 2018) .
The T-4 wears new tail marking, meaning "Raijin(God of Thunder)".
They will get F-35As ;
in FY2018: 89-8710(F/F 13 Sep., 2018), 302sqn. will swich to F-35As at Misawa.
in FY2019: *9-8711 to *9-8716 (89-8711 had started to fly at MHI Komaki)
in FY2020: *9-8717 to *9-8722, 301 sqn. will swich to F-35A at Misawa.
in FY2021: *9-8723 to *9-8728
in FY2022: *9-8729 to *9-8734
3. Phantoms;
1) About 40 F-4EJkais at 301sqn.(Hyakuri), 302sqn.(Hyakuri) and ADTW(Gifu).
2) 6 original F-4EJs are also flying at ADTW,Gifu A.B..(TPC use).
3) 7 RF-4Es and 5 RF-4EJs at 501sqn.(Hyakuri). 901,905 and 913 are now painted in blue.
912 retired by the end of May.
4) By FY2018-end(Mar. 2019), 302 sqn. will move to Misawa and get F-35As.
(No phantoms go to Misawa. All Phantoms will belong to 301sqn. at Hyakuri.)
5) By FY2019-end(Mar. 2020), 501sqn. will change to a fighter sqn.. (F-15?).
6) By FY2020-end(Mar. 2021), 301 sqn. will convert to F-35A at Misawa.
ADTW will finish to operate their F-4EJs and-kais.
4. Mitsubishi F-2A/Bs;
1) 18 F-2Bs were washed by the Tsunami on 11 Mar. 2011, but 13 F-2Bs had repaired and fly again.
21sqn.(Matsushima) got the final repaired F-2B on 28 Feb., 2018.
2) 3rd. sqn.(F-2A/B, T-4) will change its home-base to Hyakuri in FY2019(former schedule was in 2020).
5. Kawasaki C-1s.(Rev. 05 Nov. 2018);
1) Active: 001(FTB, Gifu), 002, 014, 018, 019, 020, 021(EC-1), 024, 025, 026,
028, 029, 030, 031.
1) Retired: 38-1003(16 Mar. 2016, displayed at Miho), 48-1004(2016?),
48-1005(04 Apr. 2012), 58-1006(date?). 58-1007(? Sep. 2016), 58-1008(date?),
58-1011(9 Feb. 2018 at 403sqn., with 17,880 Flt Hrs. ), 58-1012(in FY2017),
58-1013(in FY2018), 68-1016(28 May. 2014), 68-1017(27 Jan. 2015) ,
78-1022(11 May. 2015) and 78-1023(2016-2017)
2) Crashed: 58-1009(19 Apr. 1983), 58-1010(18 Feb. 1986), 68-1015(19 Apr. 1983)
and 88-1027(28 Jun.2000)
3) The last 2 C-1s(019 and 024) of the 403sqn., Miho A.B. had moved to Iruma(402sqn.) on 4 Apr., 2018.
403 sqn. become a C-2 sqn.. now.
6. Kawasaki C-2s;
1) XC-2 development program was finished on 27 Mar. 2017. So they are now "C-2".
2) Five C-2s(203-207) went to 403 sqn., Miho A.B..
3) 08-1201 had replaced its fuselage(main body), because its strength is weaker than they planned.
It is based at Gifu.
4) 18-1202 replaced its fuselage and modify to the ELINT version. Start Flying on 8 Feb, 2018.
Moved to Iruma on 26 Jun., 2018(Belongs to the ADTW detachment at Iruma in FY 2018).
5) 88-1209 made her F/F on 12 Oct., 2018.
7. Active YS-11s(Rev. 18 Jul. 2018):
YS-11FC: 52-1151 and 12-1160. 151 passed its IRAN Oct.2018, so she will retire in FY2021.
YS-11EA: 12-1162 and 12-1163.
YS-11EB: 82-1155, 82-1157, 02-1159 and 12-1161.
8. JASDF will get 3 KC-46As and set them at Miho A.B. from FY2020.
And then T-400s of the 23sqn. will move to Hamamatsu in FY2020.
9. Two U-125A(027 and 028) are painted in dark blue and flying at Komatsu.
(It seems to be normal again in FY 2018)
10. No infos. for the "Senkyo(*)" by now.
* Senkyo : Shortend term of the "Sengi-Kyougikai" in Japanese, meaning "The ACM meet in JASDF".
11. TRDI's X-2(51-0001, former ATD-X(Advanced Technology Demonstrator)) finished all
its test flights by 31 Oct., 2017. They say it will be scrapped.
12. 701sqn.(Chitose) replace their B-747s to B-777-300ER.
One B-777 had arrived at Chitose on 17 Augst, and another will arrive on December.
They will use their B-747s by FY 2018 end(Mar., 2019).
13. The Flight Check Sqn.(Iruma) will get 2 Cessna Latitude(model 680)s as U-680A in FY2019.
And one more in FY2020.
<JMSDF>
1. Kawasaki P-1s ;
1) 5501 was modified to UP-1(Flying test bed) .
2) 5502 was modified to the production type.
3) VP-3, JMSDF Atsugi had converted to P-1 sqn..
4) 5517 made her F/F on 11 May.,2018.
2. The last US-1A(9090) made her last flight on 13 Dec., 2017.
3. EP-3s and UP-3Ds will change their home base from Iwakuni to Atsugi.
They said this program was done by summer 2017, but they are still stationed
at Iwakuni.(4 Jun., 2018)
4. UH-60Js of the JMSDF will be disband in near future.
The SDF will undertake organizational reform that integrate ground-based aerial search and rescue
functions into the ASDF, which are currently performed by both the MSDF and ASDF.
（Medium Term Defense Program (FY2014-FY2018)）
<JGSDF>
1. JGSDF get 5 V-22s Osplays in FY2018, but keep staying in USA in FY2018.
Because of the local-base problem.
2. AH-64Ds stopped flying, because of the crash happend on 9 Feb., 2018.
3. CH-47J(52917/ JG-2917) had converted to CH-47"JA" type.
Other 3 CH-47Js will convert to "JA" type.
4. OH-1s stopped flying about two years, because of some mechanical reason.
But if you are lucky, you can see them at JGSDF Akeno when they have some tests.
5. OH-6Ds will retire in FY2019 or FY2020. There are no program for the "OH-X" by now(4 Mar., 2018).
6. They form up a new helicopter sqn.(3 sqn.) at Miho with 2 CH-47Js.on 27 Mar., 2018.
7. They will held the Military Review at JGSDF Asaka in autumn of 2018.
At first, it will held by JMSDF this year, but to prepare the Olympic at Tokyo in 2020, they changed the schedules.
(JGSDF Asaka will be the place of the shooting games at the Olympic. )
<USN in Japan>
1. The CVW-5 usually leave Japan for its six month cruise in mid May and return late November.
2. All the fixed wing Sqn. of the CVW-5 have switched their home base from Atsug to Iwakuni by 30 Mar., 2018.
Only the helicopter Sqn. keep remaining to the Atsugi.(They will not move to Iwakuni)
<USMC in Japan>
1. Fuji Heavy Industry started their maintenance service for MV-22s at Kisarazu (JGSDF Kisarazu) .
The 1st. MV-22 came on 31 Jan. and was hanger-in on 1 Feb., 2017.
It is unclear when it will hanger-out. It is stil in hanger on 4 Jun., 2018.
<USAF in Japan>
1. 353SOG Det.1 was born at USAF Yokota Airbase on 1st., Oct. 2018, with 5 CV-22Bs.
Those CV-22Bs had arrived USAF Yokota on 5 Apr., 2018, and they will make up a squadron
with 10 CV-22Bs and 450 people by 2024.
Now, there are: 12-0067, 13-0069, 14-0071, 14-0074 and 14-0075.
That's all today.
Uni
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