Japan Air Self-Defense Force

Japan Air Self-Defense Force
航空自衛隊
Japan Air Self-Defense Force emblem
Founded 1 July 1954 (1954-07-01)[1]
Country  Japan
Type Air force
Role Aerial warfare
Size 50,324 personnel (2013)[2]
777 aircraft
Part of Japan Self-Defense Forces
Garrison/HQ Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Motto(s) "Key to Defense, Ready Anytime!"
Website www.mod.go.jp/asdf
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief PM Shinzō Abe
Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya
Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano
Chief of the Air Staff General Yoshinari Marumo
Insignia
Roundel
Ensign
Aircraft flown
Attack F-2, F-35A, F-4EJ
Electronic
warfare		 E-767, EC-1, E-2C, EC-2
Fighter F-4EJ, F-15J/DJ, F-2, F-35A
Helicopter UH-60J, CH-47J
Interceptor F-15J
Trainer F-15DJ, T-7, T-400, T-4
Transport C-1, C-2, KC-767J, C-130H, Boeing 747-400
Air Defense Identification Zone of Japan

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (航空自衛隊, Kōkū Jieitai), JASDF, also referred to as the Japanese Air Force,[3] is the air warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and for other aerospace operations.[4] It is the de facto air force of Japan. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining a network of ground and air early-warning radar systems. The branch also has an aerobatic team known as Blue Impulse and has provided air transport in UN peacekeeping missions.

The JASDF had an estimated 50,324 personnel as of 2013, and as of 2013 operated 777 aircraft, approximately 373 of them fighter aircraft.[5]

History

Japan did not have a separate air force before World War II. Aviation operations were carried out by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (Kōkūtai). Following World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy were dissolved and later replaced by the JSDF with the passing of the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Law, with the JASDF as the aviation branch.

Until 2015, women were banned from becoming fighter jet and reconnaissance aircraft pilots, with the first female pilot of a F-15s set to join the ranks, along with three other female pilots currently in training, in 2018.[6]

Organization

Japan Air Self-Defense Force Air Defense Command Headquarters (2012)

Major units of the JASDF are the Air Defense Command, Air Support Command, Air Training Command, Air Development and Test Command, and Air Materiel Command. The Air Support Command is responsible for direct support of operational forces in rescue, transportation, control, weather monitoring and inspection. The Air Training Command is responsible for basic flying and technical training. The Air Development and Test Command, in addition to overseeing equipment research and development, is also responsible for research and development in such areas as flight medicine.

A Mitsubishi F-15J

The Air Defense Command has northern, central, and western regional headquarters located at Misawa, Iruma, and Kasuga, respectively and the Southwestern Composite Air Division based at Naha, Okinawa Prefecture. All four regional headquarters control surface-to-air missile units of both the JASDF and the JGSDF located in their respective areas.

Boeing KC-767J tanker in 2017.

Ranks

Officers（幹部）

InsigniaGeneral
統合幕僚長
および
航空幕僚長
たる空将		Lieutenant
General
空将		Major
General
空将補		 Colonel
1等空佐		Lieutenant
Colonel
2等空佐		Major
3等空佐		 Captain
1等空尉		First
Lieutenant
2等空尉		Second
Lieutenant
3等空尉
Type A
（甲階級章）
Type B
（乙階級章）
Miniature
（略章）

Warrant Officer and Enlisted（准尉および曹士）

InsigniaWarrant
Officer
准空尉		Senior
Master
Sergeant
空曹長		Master
Sergeant
1等空曹		Technical
Sergeant
2等空曹		Staff
Sergeant
3等空曹		Airman
1st Class
空士長		Airman
2nd Class
1等空士		Airman
3rd Class
2等空士		OR-D
Self Defence
Official Cadet
自衛官候補生
Type A
（甲階級章）

Type B
（乙階級章）
Miniature
（略章）		 No insignia

Equipment

The JASDF maintains an integrated network of radar installations and air defense direction centers throughout the country known as the Basic Air Defense Ground Environment. In the late 1980s, the system was modernized and augmented with E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. The nation relies on fighter-interceptor aircraft and surface-to-air missiles to intercept hostile aircraft. Both of these systems were improved from the beginning of the late 1980s. Outmoded aircraft were replaced in the early 1990s with more sophisticated models, and Nike-J missiles have been replaced with the modern Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 system. The JASDF also provides air support for ground and sea operations of the JGSDF and the JMSDF and air defense for bases of all the forces. Base defenses were upgraded in the late 1980s with new surface-to-air missiles, modern antiaircraft artillery and new fixed and mobile aircraft shelters.

Aircraft

Current inventory

An F-2 taking off from the runway at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam
An E-2C Hawkeye landing at Misawa Air Base
A RF-4EJ Phantom II
A CH-47J from Iruma Air Base
A Kawasaki T-4
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Combat Aircraft
Mitsubishi F-2 Japan multirole 62[7] based on the Lockheed Martin F-16
F-4 Phantom II United States multirole EF/RF-4EJ 73[7]
F-15 Eagle United States air superiority F-15J 155[7] manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
F-35 Lightning II United States multirole F-35A 2[8][9] 42 on order[10]
AWACS
Boeing E-767 United States early warning and control 4[7]
E-2 Hawkeye United States AEW E-2C/D 13 2 on order[7]
Electronic Warfare
Kawasaki C-1 Japan electronic warfare 1[7]
NAMC YS-11 Japan electronic warfare 4[7]
Tanker
Boeing KC-767 United States aerial refueling / transport 4[7]
Lockheed Martin KC-130 United States aerial refueling KC-130H 1[7]
Transport
Boeing 747 United States VIP 747-400 2[11] call sign Japanese Air Force One
Boeing 777 United States VIP 777-300ER 1 1 on order[12]
Gulfstream IV United States VIP 5[7]
Hawker 800 United Kingdom SAR / transport 27[7]
Kawasaki C-1 Japan transport 20[7]
Kawasaki C-2 Japan heavy transport 3 17 on order[7]
C-130 Hercules United States transport C-130H 14[7]
NAMC YS-11 Japan transport 1[7]
Helicopters
CH-47 Chinook United States transport / utility CH-47J 17[7] licensed built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Sikorsky UH-60 United States utility / transport UH-60J 41[7] licensed built by Mitsubishi
Trainer Aircraft
Mitsubishi F-2 Japan conversion trainer F-2B 20[7]
F-15 Eagle United States conversion trainer F-15DJ 45[7] manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Hawker 400 United States jet trainer T-1 Jayhawk 13[7]
Fuji T-3 Japan trainer 49[7]
Kawasaki T-4 Japan jet trainer 201[7]
NAMC YS-11 Japan multi engine trainer 2[7]

Future aircraft

Projects currently in development are the Mitsubishi X-2, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and the Fuji TACOM UAV[13][14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Japan Self-Defense Force | Defending Japan". Defendingjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
  2. ↑ "What is JASDF?｜ORGANIZATION ｜ [JASDF] Japan Air Self-Defense Force". www.mod.go.jp.
  3. ↑ Gao, Charlie (19 February 2018). "Japan's Air Force: The Best in Asia?".
  4. ↑  This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/.
  5. ↑ "World Air Forces 2014". Flightglobal.com
  6. ↑ "First Japanese woman to fly fighter jet". BBC News. 2018-08-24. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "World Air Forces 2018". Flightglobal Insight. 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "Lockheed Martin unveils first F-35 built for Japan".
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "Japan Receives 1st F-35 Joint Strike Fighter". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "Japan searches for new plane for Prime minister". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "New government plane delivered to Japan". NHK World. 17 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Info" (PDF). www.kosuke.net.
  14. ↑ "Corporate Profile - Subaru Corporation".
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