Some infos. for 2019.
<General>
1. Usually, the JASDF release their open house schedule at around 20th March every year.
(But in these few years, they release only the date before July.)
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.
It is holiday from 27 Apr. to 6 May. this year.
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 3rd. 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, Komatsu, Komaki, Hyakuri and Tsuiki.
2) You can bring it into the base, but prohibit to use during the airshow(especially B.I. show); Chitose.
3) You can bring it into the base, but requested minimum use; Other JASDF base, JMSDF air base and JGSDF air fields.
9. Weathers:
1) Usually around 10 Jun. to 20 Jul. are rainy season in Japan. (In Okinawa, late May to mid Jun. No rainy season in Hokkaido)
2) Usually around late Sep. to mid Oct., there are 2 weeks cloudy or rainy days except Okinawa and Hokkaido.
3) Some typhoons hit in mid Aug. to mid Sep..
<JASDF>
1. General:
One fighter squadron usually has 3 training periods in one day from 0800am to 1700pm.
They start engines at about 0730, taxing to the R/W-end at about 0755, and T/O at just 0800.
They sometimes has "Night" training at the 4th period(1700pm or later).
The "Night" trainig schedule are often uploaded on their base-HP or local city hall's HP.
(But usually written in Japanese only.)
2. F-35As;
1) JASDF will purchase 147 F-35s in total(incl. 42 F-35Bs).(The Cabinet Decision on 18 Dec., 2018)
(Former plan was 42 F-35As). They've already got 99-8714 to 99-8716.
2) Japan will stop FACO at MHI Komaki from FY2019, and will import F-35s from US to reduce the budget.
3) JASDF formed up "new" 302 sqn. on 26 March 2019. And then "Rinji F-35A Hikotai" was disbanded.
4) Future plans;
in FY2020: get *9-8717 to *9-8722, 301 sqn. will swich to F-35A at Misawa.
in FY2021: get *9-8723 to *9-8728
in FY2022: get *9-8729 to *9-8734
A new fighter sqn. (F-35B) will be born by FY2024-end(Mar. 2025).
3. Phantoms;
1) JASDF have about 30 F-4EJkais at 301sqn.(Hyakuri) and ADTW(Gifu).
2) 4 original F-4EJs are also flying at ADTW,Gifu A.B..(TPC use).
3) 4 RF-4Es and 3 RF-4EJs at 501sqn.(Hyakuri).
All RF-4E weared "Shark-mouth" painting on their nose now.
RF-4E: 901(blue), 903, 907 and 909. (905(blue) and 913 was retired.)
RF-4EJ: 380, 397 and 433. (335 and 392 were retired)
They will be disbanded by FY2019-end(Mar. 2020).
The final flight seems to be the 1st. week of March 2020.
4) By FY2020-end(Mar. 2021), 301 sqn. will convert to F-35A at Misawa.
The final flight seems to be by December 2020.
Some rumor say that they will be a "paper sqn." from the autumn.
Surely, there are no official comments for the Phantom operations.
5) By FY2020-end(Mar. 2021), ADTW will finish to operate their F-4EJs and-kais.
6) To go to the famous spotting place "The Tower at Hyakuri"
Send e-mail(with Name, Nationality, Address, visit date and arrival time) to the general association
"Hyakuri Party"(
hyakurip@gmail.com) , at least 3 days before your visit.
When the land keeper is busy and not come to the entrance gate, your request(s) will be rejected.
4. Mitsubishi F-2A/Bs;
1) 3rd. sqn.(F-2A/B, T-4) will change its home-base to Hyakuri in FY2019(former schedule was in 2020).
It seems to be March 2020.
5. Kawasaki C-1s.(Rev. 05 Nov. 2018);
1) Active: 001(FTB, Gifu), 002, 014, 018, 019, 020, 021(EC-1, Iruma), 024, 025, 026,
028, 029, 030, 031.
2) 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 or 2017)
3) Crashed: 58-1009(19 Apr. 1983), 58-1010(18 Feb. 1986), 68-1015(19 Apr. 1983)
and 88-1027(28 Jun.2000)
6. Kawasaki C-2s;
1) XC-2 development program was finished on 27 Mar. 2017. So they are now "C-2".
2) 08-1201 had replaced its fuselage(main body), because its strength is weaker than they planned.
It is based at Gifu.
3) 18-1202 replaced her fuselage and modify to the ELINT version, and she started flying on 8 Feb, 2018.
We call her as "RC-2", but it is not the offcial name.
The RC-2 moved to Iruma on 26 Jun., 2018, and Belongs to the ADTW detachment at Iruma in FY 2018
and FY2019.
4) 98-1210 made her F/F on 22 Jan., 2019.
5) They will start to make up "C-2 ECM version" from FY2020. It seems they'll use 08-1201 for this project.
7. Active YS-11s;
1) YS-11FC: 52-1151.
52-1151 passed her IRAN on Oct.2018, so she will keep flying more 3 years and will retire in FY2021.
12-1160 was retired on 8 Oct., 2019.
2) YS-11EA: 12-1162 and 12-1163.
3) YS-11EB: 82-1155, 82-1157, 02-1159 and 12-1161. They will keep flying until replacing to the RC-2.
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) which painted in dark blue are now in IRAN at MHI.
There was a rumor that they will paint some new comouflage(s). But it was only a rumor(write on 8 Oct., 2019).
10. No infos. for the "Senkyo(*)" by now.
* Senkyo : Shortend term of the "Sengi-Kyougikai" in Japanese, meaning "The ACM meet in JASDF".
11. 701sqn.(Chitose) replaced their B-747s to B-777-300ERs(80-1111/1112).
2 B-747s had left Japan and went to USA.
Some parts of the VIP room will be displayed at Komatsu Aviation museum and JASDF Museum at Hamamatsu.
12. The Flight Check Sqn.(Iruma) will get 2 Cessna Latitude(model 680)s as U-680A in FY2019.
And one more in FY2020.
13. JASDF will make a Drone squadron(maybe at Misawa), and will operate 3 RQ-4s by FY2024.
14. JASDF will have the Air Review at Hyakuri air base on October 2020.
It means no "usual or normal" openhouse day at Hyakuri in 2020.
15. Because of the engine-trouble, almost all T-4s are grounded now.(Rev. 09 Sep., 2019)
Hamamatsu: 6 T-4s which had repaired the engines are flying.
Matsushima: 7 T-4s of the Blue Impulse are flying.
Ashiya: At least 6 T-4s flying.
Iruma: 3 T-4s flying.
Other bases: No T-4 flights.
16. C-130Hs will change their color scheme to the "C-2 like gray".
45-1074 is the 1st. one.
<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) VP-1(Kanoya) got 3 P-1s(5517, 5518 and 5521) on 26 Jul., 2019.
They will get 5 P-1s in total by FY2019-end(= Mar.2020).
5) JMSDF will get 5 P-1s per FY until FY 2023-end.
6) Date of the First Flight in FY2019 ;
5522 : 19 Apr., 2019.
5523 : 02 Jul., 2019.
5524 : 19 Sep., 2019.
5525 : Not yet.
2. UH-60Js of the JMSDF will be disband in near future(by FY2024-end).
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))
They will convert 3 SH-60Ks to UH-60Ks in FY2020 for the temporary use.
3. There was a plan that EP-3s and UP-3Ds would move from Iwakuni to Atsugi.
But this plan had discarded more than 4 years ago(I myself do not know it).
They keep staying at Iwakuni.
4. JMSDF will have the Fleet Review at Sagami-bay on 14 October 2019.
<JGSDF>
1. JGSDF got 5 V-22 Osplays in FY2018, but keep staying them in USA in FY2019.
Because of the local-base problem. They will get 17 V-22s in total.
2. AH-1s are reducing and they have no plan of AH-X.
They will shrink and re-locate attack-helicopter squadrons by FY2024-end.
3. AH-64Ds are not flying since the crash happend on 9 Feb., 2018.
It will start flying from 18 Nov., 2019.
4. CH-47J(52917/ JG-2917) had converted to CH-47"JA" type.
Other 3 CH-47Js will convert to "JA" type.
5. OH-1 with re-newed engines started to fly from 1 Mar. 2019.
There is only one flyable OH-1 which get the re-newd engines by now (code 604), at Akeno.
6. OH-6Ds will retire in FY2019.
In Hokkaido area, all OH-6Ds were retired by March-end of 2019.
There are one remains in Tohoku area, 3 remains at Somagahara.
No infos for the other bases.
There are no program for the "OH-X" by now(17 May. 2019).
7. XUH-2(45001/JG-5001, Bell 412EP-mod., former UH-X) made her F/F on 21 Dec., 2018,
at Subaru Utsunomiya plant which is the same airfield as JGSDF Kita-Utsunomiya.
And it was handed over o the JGSDF on 4 Mar.,2019.
Former "UH-X" was re-named to "XUH-2" by the end of Feb., 2019.
<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. Subaru(former Fuji Heavy Industry) started their maintenance service for MV-22s at Kisarazu (JGSDF Kisarazu) .
The 1st. MV-22 came on 31 Jan. 2017 and it was hanger-in on 1 Feb., 2017. I flew-out on 5 Mar., 2019..
<USAF in Japan>
1. 21st SOS was established at Yokota on 1st. Jul. 2019 with 5 CV-22Bs.
The "old" 353SOG Det.1 was vanished and its 5 CV-22Bs were swiched to the 21st. SOS.
Now, there are: 12-0067, 13-0069, 14-0071, 14-0074 and 14-0075.
2. Usually there comes less than 10 a/cs at USAF/JASDF Yokota in one day.
Please check this site(Japnese only).
http://yokotajoho.cocolog-nifty.com/
That's all today.
Uni
/iberia.gif)
