Japan Air Self-Defense Force

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Japan Air Self-Defense Force
航空自衛隊
Personnel
Airmen 46,000 (1992 est.)
Strength
Combat Aircraft 330 (1992 est.)
The , or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations.This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.


Japan Air Self-Defense Force 航空自衛隊
Personnel
Airmen	46,000 (1992 est.)
Strength
Combat Aircraft	330 (1992 est.)

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 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.

Contents

1 History

1.1 Formation

2 Organization

2.1 Recruitment and Training

3 Equipment

3.1 Fighters
3.2 Recon / Electronic warfare
3.3 Trainers
3.4 Transports

4 External links
5 See also
6 References & notes

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.

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.

Minister of State for Defense
*JASDF Chief of Staff / Air Staff Office
**Air Defense Command
***Northern Air Defense Force: Misawa Air Base
***Central Air Defense Force: Iruma
***Western Air Defense Force: Kasuga
***Southwestern Air Defense Force: Naha
***Airborne Early Warning Group: Misawa Air Base
***Tactical Reconnaissance Group: Hyakuri
***Tactical Fighter Training Group: Nyutabaru
***Air Defense Missile Training Group Hamamatsu, Chitose
**Air Support Command: Fuchu
**Air Training Command: Hamamatsu
**Air Development and Test Command: Iruma
**Air Materiel Command Headquarters: Jujou

Sources:

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. See section 2: "The Self Defense Forces"

Equipment

JASDF Mitsubishi F-2 at Hamamatsu AB.

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.

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.

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.

Fighters

Recon / Electronic warfare

Trainers

T-1
T-2
T-3
T-4
T-7
T-400

Transports

C-1
YS-11
C-130H
Boeing 747-400 (VIP transport)