NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Japanese Air Force

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (航空自衛隊 Kōkū Jieitai^?), or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations.^[1] The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining an extensive network of ground and air early warning radar systems. The branch also has an aerobatic team known as Blue Impulse and has recently been involved in providing air transport in several UN peacekeeping missions. The Japan Self-Defense Forces ), or JSDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of World War II. The force has been engaged in no real combat but has been engaged in some international peacekeeping operations. ... Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a particular country on top of its territory and territorial waters or, more generally, any specific portion of the atmosphere. ... Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of defensive mission for fighter aircraft, in which they guard a designated site, either a fixed site on land, ships at sea, or less commonly support aircraft such as aerial tankers. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to detect, determine the distance of, and map, objects such... Soon after aircraft were invented, pilots realised that they could be used as part of a flying circus to entertain people or impress others in what was termed aerobatics. ... Blue Impulse (T-4) Blue Impulseor 11 Squadron is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. ...

The ASDF had an authorized strength of 47,000 and maintained some 46,000 personnel and approximately 330 combat aircraft in 1992. Front-line formations include three ground-attack squadrons, nine fighter squadrons, one reconnaissance squadron and five transport squadrons. ^[2]

History

Formation

Prior to the formation of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces after World War II, Japan did not have a separate air force. Aviation operations were carried out by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. Following World War II the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy were dissolved and replaced by the JSDF with the passing of the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Law with the JASDF as the aviation branch. Japans honor guard often marches to greet the arrival of foreign dignitaries. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... An air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ... The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (more traditionally called the Japanese Army Air Force) was Imperial Japans land-based aviation force. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service or Kaigun Koku Hombu was a major force in the Pacific War during World War Two. ... The Imperial Japanese Army (: å¤§æ—¥æœ¬å¸åœ‹é™¸è» Shinjitai: å¤§æ—¥æœ¬å¸å›½é™¸è» Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: å¤§æ—¥æœ¬å¸åœ‹æµ·è» Shinjitai: å¤§æ—¥æœ¬å¸å›½æµ·è» or æ—¥æœ¬æµ·è» Nippon Kaigun) or sometimes referred to as the Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan (Dai Nippon Teikoku) from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling...

Organization

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

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 on Okinawa. All four regional headquarters control surface-to-air missile units of both the ASDF and the GSDF located in their respective areas. It has been suggested that Misawa AB be merged into this article or section. ... Naha (那覇市; -shi) is the capital city of 沖縄県 Okinawa Prefecture (Okinawan Uchinā) in Japan. ... This article is about the prefecture. ...

Sources:^[3] ^[4] ^[5] It has been suggested that Misawa AB be merged into this article or section. ... Iruma (入間市; -shi) is a city located in Saitama, on the island of Honshu, Japan. ... Kasuga (春日市; -shi) is a city located in Fukuoka, Japan. ... Naha (那覇市; -shi) is the capital city of 沖縄県 Okinawa Prefecture (Okinawan Uchinā) in Japan. ... It has been suggested that Misawa AB be merged into this article or section. ... Hamamatsu (浜松市; -shi) is a city located in western Shizuoka, Japan. ... Chitose (千歳市 Chitose-shi) is a city located in Ishikari, Hokkaido, Japan. ... Fuchu is the name of several places in Japan: Fuchu City, Tokyo Prefecture Fuchu City, Hiroshima Prefecture Fuchu Town, Hiroshima Prefecture As of 2004, this is the only case that two Japanese cities share the exactly same name. ... Hamamatsu (浜松市; -shi) is a city located in western Shizuoka, Japan. ... Iruma (入間市; -shi) is a city located in Saitama, on the island of Honshu, Japan. ...

Recruitment and Training

After passing an entrance examination, recruits can enter several training programs. Lower-secondary school graduates are eligible to enter the MSDF's four-year youth cadet program to earn upper-secondary school equivalency and NCO status, or they can undergo twelve-week recruit training courses followed by technical training lasting from five to fifty weeks. Upper-secondary school graduates can also enter either two-year NCO or four-year flight courses. Specialized training is available for all NCOs, as are opportunities to enroll in officer and flight officer candidate courses. Graduates of the four-year National Defense Academy or four-year universities receive thirty to forty weeks of instruction in officer candidate schools. Advanced technical, flight and command staff officer programs are available for officers.^[6] Categories: Japanese society | Stub ... A cadet is a person who is junior in some way. ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... The Japan National Defense Academy is an academy aimed to educate and train cadets who will be officers in three services of the Self-Defense Forces of Japan. ...

Equipment

The ASDF 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 airborne earlywarning aircraft. Image File history File links F-2a. ... Image File history File links F-2a. ... Image File history File links F-4EJ(Kai)01. ... Image File history File links F-4EJ(Kai)01. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to detect, determine the distance of, and map, objects such... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging military aircraft in combat from the ground. ... The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is the United States Navys all-weather, aircraft carrier-based tactical warning and control system 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 were replaced with new Patriot systems. Essentially, however, the nation requires the help of United States forces to provide sufficient interceptor capability. An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at great speed, particularly bombers. ... A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... NIKE-J Ground to Air Large-Sized Missile Length : 12. ... Four Patriot missiles like the one shown here can be fired from this mobile launcher between loadings. ...

The ASDF also provides air support for ground and sea operations of the GSDF and the MSDF and air defense for bases of all the forces. Although support fighter squadrons started being modernized in 1989, they lacked precision-guided weapons for support of ground operations and attacks on hostile ships, and ASDF pilots receive little flight training over oceans to prepare for maritime operations. The ASDF has inadequate base defense capabilities, consisting mainly of outmoded antiaircraft guns and portable shelters to house aircraft. Base defenses were upgraded in the late 1980s with new surface-to-air missiles, modern antiaircraft artillery and new fixed and mobile aircraft shelters. JGSDF Central force head office in Itami, Japan Tank Type 74 of Japan Ground Self Defense Force The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) or Rikujou Jieitai (é™¸ä¸Šè‡ªè¡›éšŠ) is the name of the military ground forces (army) of Japan. ... The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ), or JMSDF, is the maritime branch of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, tasked with the naval defense of Japan and formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II.[1] The force is based strictly on defensive armament, largely lacking...

See also List of military aircraft of Japan This list of military aircraft of Japan includes prototype, pre-production and operational types regardless of era. ...

Fighters

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to permit the U.S. Air Force to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... The F-4 Phantom II (simply F-4 Phantom after 1990) is a two-place (tandem), supersonic, long-range, all-weather fighter-bomber built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. ... The Mitsubishi F-2 is a Japanese fighter aircraft manufactured by Mitsubishi. ... F-1 at Iwakuni Base The Mitsubishi F-1 is Japans first domestically developed jet fighter, and was the first fighter to enter production in Japan since the end of World War II. Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries jointly developed the F-1. ...

Recon / Electronic warfare

The F-4 Phantom II (simply F-4 Phantom after 1990) is a two-place (tandem), supersonic, long-range, all-weather fighter-bomber built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. ... The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is the United States Navys all-weather, aircraft carrier-based tactical warning and control system aircraft. ... The E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications needed by commanders of U.S., NATO and other allied air defense forces. ...

Trainers

The Fuji T-1 was Japans first jet-powered trainer aircraft. ... The Mitsubishi T-2 is a jet trainer aircraft used by the Japan Air Self-Defence Force. ... T3 or T-3 is used for various purposes as a designation, abbreviation or identifier: For the usage of this term in telecommunications see T-carrier. ... T-4 in MCAS Iwakuni on Friendship Day The Kawasaki T-4 is a subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft used by the Japan Air Self Defense Force. ...

Transports

Sources: ^[7] ^[8] Kawasaki C-1 Kawasaki C-1 is military transporter, used by Japan Air Self Defense Force. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft, is the main tactical air transport aircraft of the United States and UK military forces. ... Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-400 Tinker Belle taxiing to the take off point at London Heathrow Airport The Boeing 747-400 is at present the only model of the Boeing 747 in production and will remain the largest commercial airliner in service until the introduction of the Airbus A380. ... One of the most recognisable air transports of Heads of State, a VC-25A of the United States Air Force. ...

External links

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