| Kaijo Jietai / Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force |
The Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) or Kaijo Jieitai in Japanese received its first aircraft in 1955 by means of ten
TBM-3W2 and ten TBM-3S2 Avengers. Seventeen Lockheed PV-2 Harpoons and two P2V-7 Neptunes were also delivered
during the same year while two Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina's were received a year later. 48 P2V-7 Neptunes were licence built by
Kawasaki Heavy Industries. An extra 16 examples were received from the US Navy. The P2V-7 was succeeded by the locally developed
P-2J of which 83 examples were built by Kawasaki between 1966 and 1979. Extra ex US Navy aircraft received were 60 S2F-1 Trackers.
The last original P2V-7 was retired in 1982 while the last Tracker left in 1983.
In the early 1960's Shin Maywa industries started development work for a project designated as the PS-X. The result was the Shin Maywa
PS-1 which first flew on 29 October 1967. 23 PS-1's served the JMSDF from 1973 till 1987. The SAR version, the Shin Maywa US-1(A), of
which twenty were built, is still in use and the type is still in limited production. Ten aircraft remain in service today.
ASW helicopter operations commenced in 1958 with the delivery of eight HSS-1 and nine HSS-1N Sea Bat helicopters.
55 HSS-2, 28 HSS-2A and 84 HSS-2B Sea Kings were built by Mitsubishi between 1964 and 1987. Another type acquired by
the JMSDF was the Kawasaki Vertol 107 of which nine were operated in the minesweeping role between 1963 and 1988 when
the Sikorsky MH-53E of which 11 have been delivered to date replaced the type. Other less significant types operated in the past
were the Sikorsky S-62 which was the prime rescue helicopter during the seventies and eighties.
Nowadays the JMSDF is operating a large fleet of no fewer then 100 P-3C's Orions built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries which
currently serve eight operational squadrons as well as one training squadron although one is scheduled for disbandment in the near future.
Additional special mission Orions serve a unit at Iwakuni and the JMSDF's test unit at Atsugi. The HSS-2 has been replaced by the
SH-60J Sea Hawk over the past years while the UH-60 replaced the S-62 in the base rescue role. HSS-2's are still in use in limited numbers.
Elementary fixed-wing training is conducted on the Fuji T5. Future multi-engine fixed-wing pilots continue training on the Beech TC-90 at
Tokushima. Helicopter pilots are trained on the OH-6D and SH-60J at Kanoya. Additional types include the YS11 and the LC-90 which are
operated in the transport role and the U-36 which is operating in the operational support role.
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Photo: Erik Sleutelberg
Photo: Jurgen van Toor
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