| Nihon Koku Jietai / Japanese Air Self Defence Force |
After the unconditional Japanese surrender in 1945 it lasted until 1950 before the country was enabled to set up its own defence
organisation again. This resulted in the establishment of the Keisatu Yobitai (National Police Force). In 1952 this para-military organisation was
renamed to Hoantai (National Safety Force). It was this Hoantai which received the first aircraft on October 15th 1952 which
formed the core of the nowadays Nihon Koku Jietai.
The establishment of the Japanese Air Self Defence Force as we know it took place on July 1st 1954. The large need for pilots and
support personal resulted in the establishment of a Flying School based at Hamamatsu airbase on July 6th 1954 equipped with ten
Beechcraft T-34A Mentors which were later supplemented with 124 additional aircraft licence built by Fuji Heavy Industries.
In 1955 the NKJ received its first aircraft out of American stocks. These aircraft comprised numbers of North American T-6 Texans,
Lockheed T-33's and Curtis C-46 Commando's. The first fighters were delivered in December of that year when a number of F-86's
arrived in Japan. The delivery of these F-86's coincided with the establishment of the 1st Kokudan at Hamamatsu airbase eventually
equipped with two squadrons (Hikotai) F-86F Sabres. At the end of 1956 the air force had 96 T-34 Mentors, 130 T-6 Texans,
68 T-33 T-birds, 8 F-86F Sabres and 24 C-46 Commando's on strength as well as one Kawasaki KAL-2 being the first post WW2 Japanese designed aircraft.
During the second half of the nineteen fifties the NKJ expanded to a sizeable air force with the backbone being formed by 180
US built and 300 Mitsubishi built F-86's. During the beginning of the nineteen sixties the fleet of T-6 was gradually being replaced by the
locally developed Fuji T-1 while the Rinji Kyunan Kokutai (Provisional Air Rescue Squadron) took delivery of the first helicopters comprising
H-19C's, H-21B's and S-62J's.
In 1962 a new era started for the NKJ when the Lockheed F-104J Starfighter was selected as the successor to the
F-86 Sabre in the air defence role. Between 1962 and 1967 210 Mitsubishi F-104J's and 20 F-104DJ's were delivered equipping
seven squadrons. During the end of the sixties the first Kawasaki KV-107's were taken on charge as a replacement for the H-19 and
H-21. Another type entering service around that time was the Mitsubishi MU-2. Around the same time the F-4EJ was already selected as
the successor to the Starfighter.
The seventies saw the development and introduction of a number of aircraft types which still can be seen on the
inventory such as the Kawasaki C-1 which succeeded the ageing fleet of C-46's as well as the Mitsubishi F-1 and T-2
which replaced the last F-86F's in the close air support and advanced training role. In 1977 the F-15J was already selected as
the successor to the F-4EJ fleet for which deliveries were not even completed by that time! During the first half of the nineteen eighties the
NKJ retired the last C-46's, T-34's and F-86's.
The nineties saw the retirement of the fleet of T-33's and T-1's by Kawasaki T-4's, the KV 107 by the UH-60J, the
Mu-2 by the U-125 and the Beech 65 by the U-4 Gulfstream. At this time the Mitsubishi F-1 and T-2 is progressively
being replaced by the Mitsubishi F2.
|
| |
Photo: Paul van der Linden
Photo: Paul van der Linden
|
JASDF Main Page
Order of Battle