Some infos. for 2020.
<General>
1. In Japan, new financial year starts 1 Apr. and ends 31 March.
So a lot of official events starts 1 Apr. and ends 31 Mar.. Please remember it !
The budgets for the next financial year are usually decide by the end of February.
2. Usually, the JASDF release their open house schedule at around 20th March every year.
(Based on their budgets, but in these some years, they release only the date before July.)
3. 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).
4. Usually, the JMSDF release their open house schedule about 1-2 month before the event.
5. There are quite less flights 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.
So they used up their budget of the financial year, and maybe busy to write up /finish/close their paper-works
for the financial year-end.
They are also busy for the first few days of April,
because a lot of "old" organization close on 31 Mar. and establish "new" organization on 1 Apr..
So there are a lot of personnel movements, and relative ceremonies at this season.
6. JASDF/JGSDF/JMSDF are "holiday" on Sat. and Sun. and the National holidays in Japan.
There are no activities except routine maritime patrol, exercise, emergency and /or some special missions.
Please check the National holidays in Japan of this year, when you make your trip schedules to Japan.
There are some holidays from 29 Apr. to 6 May. this year.
7. 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.
8. Please check the NOTAM at this site before you visit to the airbase in Japan;
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.
9. Step ladder regulations
Almost all the JASDF bases have made regulations for the step ladders at the airshow.
The regulations 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.
10. Weathers:
1) Usually around 10 Jun. to 20 Jul. are rainy season in Japan.
( Late May to mid Jun. in Okinawa. 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 late Sep..
11. Questions
If you have questions about Japanese airshows or need trip infos. for your spotting(in Japan), please post it here.
Some people send me private massages, but I myself do not go to the airbases so often(I go some airshows per year).
I myself have visited to almost all airbases in Japan, but it was more than 20 years ago.
The spotters who traveled Japan recently will answer you with the latest knowledge.
<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" training 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).
2) The Cabinet Decision once said that we will stop FACO at MHI Komaki from FY2019,
and will import F-35s from US to reduce the budget.
But the Cabinet Decision changed and keep FACO in Dec. 2019.
3) 301sqn. moved to Misawa on 15 Dec. 2020 with 10 F-35As.
(Indeed no personnel moved from Hyakuri to Misawa. 301sqn. of F-4s was closed at Hyakuri on 14 Dec.
and "new" 301sqn. of F-35As was established at Misawa on 15 Dec..)
4) Delivered;
in FY2019: 09-8717, 09-8718
in FY2020: 09-8719 to 09-8722
5) Future plans;
in FY2021: get 19-8723 to 19-8728
in FY2022: get *9-8729 to *9-8734
in FY2024: A new fighter sqn. (F-35B) will be born by FY2024-end(Mar. 2025).
3. Phantoms;
1) 301 sqn. finished its Phantom operation on 10 Dec., 2020 and the Sqn. "moved" to Misawa on 15 Dec., 2020.
(Indeed no personnel moved from Hyakuri to Misawa. )
2) 4 original F-4EJs and one F-4EJkai are also flying at ADTW, Gifu A.B..(for TPC use).
They will finish to operate their F-4EJs and one F-4EJ kai by FY2020-end(Mar. 2021).
4. Mitsubishi F-2A/Bs;
1) 3rd. sqn.(F-2A/B, T-4) had changed their home-base to Hyakuri.
All the aircrafts move to Hyakuri by 25 Mar, 2020 and they belong to the 7Wing on 26 Mar., 2020.
5. Kawasaki C-1s.(Rev. 08Dec. 2020);
1) Active C-1s are;
Gifu: 001(FTB-IRAN now), 019(TDY), 024(will be IRAN or retire soon)
402sqn.(Iruma): 002, 026, 028, 029, 030, 031.
Denshisen(Iruma): 021(EC-1)
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.
They will start to make up "C-2 ECM version" from FY2020.
It seems they'll use 08-1201 for this project and it means that we can't see her until her
rolled-out(FY2024).
3) 18-1202 replaced her fuselage and modify to the ELINT version, called "RC-2".
"RC-2" become the official name now.
The RC-2 belongs to Koku Senjyutsu Kyododan at iruma AB, from 1st. Oct. 2020.
4) 98-1210 made her F/F on 22 Jan., 2019. 08-1211 made her F/F on 7 Feb., 2020.
18-1212 made her F/F on 15 Oct.,2020. 18-1213 made her F/F on 21 Dec., 2020.
7. Active YS-11s;
1) YS-11FC: 52-1151 will retire by Mar.-end of 2021.
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.
9. T-400s of the 23sqn. will move to Hamamatsu in FY2021(It would be FY2020, but the delay of building construction,
they prolonged their schedule one more year later).
10. No infos. for the "Senkyo(*)" by now.
* Senkyo : Shortend term of the "Sengi-Kyougikai" in Japanese, meaning "The ACM meet in JASDF".
11. The Flight Check Sqn.(Iruma) got 2 Cessna Latitude(model 680)s as U-680A in FY2019.
LN-NSM(02-3031) and LN-SUA(02-3032) was arrived at Narita Int'l AP on 20 Mar.2020.
Moved to JASDF Iruma without tail numbers on 21 Mar., 2020. The tail numbers were written on 3 Apr., 2020.
The 3rd. and the last U-680A(LN-TAI) arrived at Iruma on 20 Jan., 2021.
She will get S/N 12-3033.
12. JASDF will make a Drone squadron(maybe at Misawa), and will operate 3 RQ-4s by FY2024.
14. Because of the engine-trouble, almost all T-4s are grounded since Apr. 2019.
Flying T-4s are;
14 or more for Hamamatsu,
4 for the Blue Impulse at Matsushima (They fly only 4 ships from June to Mar. 2021.
And have sent their engines to Hamamatsu and Ashiya)
7 or more at Ashiya,
3 or more at Iruma,
1 or more at each air Wings.
(Rev. 22Jan., 2021)
15. C-130Hs will change their color scheme to the "C-2 like gray".
45-1074 is the 1st. one.
16. C-130H 95-1081 had converted to the KC-130H. Her F/F was 24 Jun., 2020 at Gifu.
17. 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.
<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) have got 4 P-1s(5517, 5518, 5520 and 5521)by now.
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) Dates of the First Flight in FY2020 ;
5527：14 May. 2020
5528 : 20 Jul. 2020
5529 : 30 Sep. 2020
5530 : 08 Dec. 2020
5531 : 01 Mar. 2021
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.
（Source: Medium Term Defense Program (FY2014-FY2018))
They will convert 2(former plan was 3) SH-60Ks to UH-60Ks in FY2020 for the temporary use.
3. XSH-60L (8501?) was seen at MHI Komaki on 1st. Oct., 2020. It is the up-graded version of the SH-60K.
4. US-2 9907 delivered to 71ARS on early Mar., 2020.
5. Less than 10 SH-60Js are remaining by the end of Sep., 2020.
69, 71, 86, 91 were flying at Komatsushima in Sep., 2020. 00 was retired on 3 Sep., 2020.
<JGSDF>
1. JGSDF got 5 V-22 Osplays in FY2018, but keep staying them in USA in FY2019.
Because of the local-base problem.
1701 and 1705 had arrived at MCAS Iwakuni on 08 May.
1705 moved to Kisarazu on 10 Jul. 2020.
1701 moved to Kisarazu on 16 Jul. 2020.
They established new squadron for the V-22s at Kisarazu on 26 Mar., 2020.
It called "Yuso-Koku-tai"(Air transport sqn.), and V-22s will belong to 107 flight sqn.
and 108 flight sqn..
The Japanese means: Yuso(transport), Koku(air or aviation), tai(sqn., unit or group).
JGSDF 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 re-start to fly from Nov., 2019.
4. Four CH-47Js had converted to CH-47"JA" type and keep flying.
They are: 52902, 52910, 52917 and 52924.
5. OH-1 with re-newed engines started to fly from 1 Mar. 2019.
6. All the OH-6Ds were retired from JGSDF.
The last flight was the ferry flight of S/N 31311 from JGSDF Tachikawa to JGSDF Kasumigaura on 26 Mar., 2020.
7. XUH-2(45001/JG-5001, Bell 412EP-mod., former UH-X) is testing now at Akeno.
<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. It flew-out on 5 Mar., 2019..
2. Please check this site for the MCAS Iwakuni activities(Japanese only).
http://tomura.lolipop.jp/
<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 for the Yokota activities(Japanese only).
http://yokotajoho.cocolog-nifty.com/
That's all today.
Uni
