Occupying an area of approximately 2.75 square miles that includes a single 11,000-foot runway that runs roughly north to south, the base is also home to U.S. Forces Japan, a joint service headquarters coordinating matters affecting U.S. and Japanese defense relations, and Fifth Air Force, whose mission is to enhance the U.S. deterrent posture and, if necessary, provide fighter and military airlift support for offensive air operations.

Other tenant units on base include the 730th Air Mobility Squadron of the 515th Air Mobility Operation Group, which manages air mobility operations throughout the Western Pacific, and the Japanese Air Defense Command, which controls Japan’s air defense mission. Air traffic control for the base is integrated with Tokyo’s air traffic system, a must given the busy nature of the skies above the Japanese capital with its two international airports and a number of Japanese Self-Defense Force bases in the vicinity.

As a logistics hub, Yokota plays host to all kinds of visiting aircraft on a regular basis, with Captain Felicia Ticas, airfield operations flight commander, telling Defense News that the base “accepts around 2,100 transient aircraft annually, which includes U.S. Air Force, Japanese Self Defense Forces, and other allied aircraft.”

She added: “Our role as the primary logistics hub means we move 85,000 personnel and 19,000 tons of cargo every year in and around Indo-Asia-Pacific, which is essential to meet the peace and stability objectives of our nation and our allied partners.”

The visitors have included secretaries of state and defense Mike Pompeo and James Mattis during their visits to the region, as well as President Donald Trump who landed there during a visit to Japan in November 2017.

374th Airlift Wing

The host unit at Yokota is the 374th Airlift Wing. The Wing includes four groups: operations, mission support, maintenance and medical. Each group manages several squadrons in order to carry out the wing’s mission, which is to execute rapid global mobility through agile airlift operations across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and as the primary Western Pacific airlift hub for peacetime and contingency operations, the wing provides airlift for the movement of passengers, cargo and mail to all Department of Defense agencies in the Pacific area of responsibility and provides transport for people and equipment throughout the Kanto Plain and the Tokyo metropolitan area.

In addition to the Lockheed-Martin C-130J Super Hercules tactical airlifters of the 36th Airlift Squadron, the other flying squadron at Yokota is the 459th Airlift Squadron. The unit operates a mixed fleet of Bell UH-1N helicopters and Raytheon C-12J Hurons to fulfil its mission of providing airlift support for distinguished visitors as well as other priority passengers and cargo, along with conducting aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue and priority airlift missions throughout the Pacific.

The UH-1N Huey, whose design dates back to the Vietnam War, is used by the 459th AS to provide distinguish visitor and cargo transport throughout the Kanto Plain which encompasses the Greater Tokyo area, according to Major Matthew Sims, assistant director of operations of the 459th AS. In addition, he told Defense News that the type is also used to provide medical transport and search and rescue assistance for the government of Japan, and can be configured with a rescue hoist and litters for medical cases as the mission requirements demand.

The twin turboprop-engined C-12J Hurons serving alongside the UH-1Ns at the 459th AS are used primarily for VIP transport. However, they have also become the primary response aircraft for small-scale aeromedical evacuation. An aeromedical evacuation nursing team is now deployed to the base on a rotational basis, with each team there two- to three-week deployment to support the mission.

The use of the C-12J, which is based on the Raytheon 1900C regional airliner, has significantly freed up the USAF’s primary aeromedical evacuation platform, the KC-135R tanker, to perform its primary role and Major Drew Skovran, 459th AS Assistant Operations Officer called the C-12J “the most cost-effective airlifter for small groups in the PACAF inventory carrying 10-18 passengers or up to 3000 lbs of cargo. With the addition of a converted hospital bed we are one of the premier platforms for aeromedical evacuation for all joint partners in the AOR”.

Non-flying elements of the Wing includes the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron, which directs logistics for Western Pacific airlift hub orchestrates mobilization of wing and tenant units supporting Pacific Command’s operations plans, currently stores over 13 million and issues over 36 million gallons of fuel.

Part of the unit includes its Combat Mobility Flight, which is responsible for the support of real-world contingencies, INDOPACOM and/or PACAF exercises, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief mission support. It is also “the only PACAF unit that builds and specializes in coastal humanitarian air drop, allowing for specialized humanitarian relief aid avoiding possible damage to people and buildings” according to Technical Sergeant Ryan Aubert, a Recovery Lead at the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron’s Combat Mobility Flight

Air Force Ospreys

The sole USAF flying element at Yokota that is not part of the 374th AW are the Bell-Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Group. The first five Ospreys arrived at Yokota in April this year, and that number will eventually rise to ten. Four of the unit’s Ospreys were subsequently deployed to Iwakuni to take part in search and rescue operations following the collision of a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J tanker and F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet off Japan in early December, joining the C-130Js of 36th AS along with other U.S. military and Japanese Self-Defense Force aircraft.

The 353rd SOG is based out of Kadena Airbase in Okinawa operating the MC-130H Combat Talon II and MC-130J Commando II special missions aircraft modified from the C-130 Hercules, and according to 1st Lieutenant Renee Douglas, a spokesperson from the unit, the CV-22Bs are based at Yokota because the base “was the location that provided the most effective operations, training and maintenance environment for the CV-22.”

Due to training and operational requirements, Defense News was unable to speak to the Osprey detachment at Yokota to learn more about their mission, but 1Lt Douglas added in an emailed response to questions from Defense News that “having CV-22s at Yokota Air Base will help our forces develop expertise, build long-term relationships with the host nation to ensure stability, and contribute to special operations capabilities with our allies and security partners.”

The continuing security challenges in the region and the presence of forward deployed elements of the U.S. military means that Yokota’s status of a regional logistics hub is here to stay and even increase in the future. Asked to sum up the importance of the base and the wing’s mission, Colonel Otis Jones, commander of the 374th AW, told Defense News that “because of our proximity to Tokyo, along with the unique airlift capabilities we contribute to the region, Yokota, and specifically the 374th Airlift Wing, provides an advantageous hub for cargo and personnel moving into and out of the Pacific area of responsibility.” The wing also executes rapid global mobility through agile airlift operations across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and engages in regular bilateral engagements with the Japanese Self Defense Force, surrounding communities and the local Japanese government.

One Japan Air Self-Defense Force squadron that is currently operating the Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom II is due to transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jet in early 2019, with another squadron to follow the year after. Aircraft from a third squadron will be retired at the same time, ending what will then be Japan’s 48-year association with the type.

To mark the retirement of the Phantom with the JASDF’s 302 Squadron, an air show was held at the JASDF base at Hyakuri, Ibaraki prefecture, north of Japan’s capital Tokyo on Dec. 2. Two of the unit’s jets painted in commemorative markings took center stage. Hyakuri is home to all three of Japan’s Phantom squadrons.

In addition to the large crowd of locals who attended, the Hyakuri Air Festival also drew aviation enthusiasts from around the world, with groups from Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom among the various nationalities present at the show.

Dion Makowski, who was visiting from Melbourne, Australia, told Defense News that the Phantom had been a key component of many U.S.-aligned air forces for almost 60 years. “With most air forces such as Germany having retired theirs in recent years, Japan remains one of the last and most accessible places we can see the Phantom still in service,” Makowski said.

Mitsubishi built 138 of Japan’s 140 F-4EJs under licence from aerospace company McDonnell Douglas between 1971 and 1981. They were mostly similar to the F-4Es used by the United States at that time, although the Japanese aircraft had their in-flight refueling and ground-attack capabilities removed to align with Japan’s defensive posture.

An upgrade program in the 1980s saw the reintroduction of ground-attack capabilities in the form of anti-ship missiles, bombs and rockets. An improved, lightweight radar was also fitted along with an improved avionics suite. Less than 100 Phantoms were upgraded, and were known as F-4EJ Kai (Improved) in JASDF service.

Japan also acquired 14 RF-4Es built by McDonnell Douglas to serve in a reconnaissance role. These, together with 17 F-4EJs modified to the RF-4EJ standard, capable of carrying a variety of external reconnaissance pods, make up Japan’s third Phantom squadron at Hyakuri. The unit, 501 Squadron, is also due to retire the Phantom in 2020, although it’s unclear if the unit will then transition to a new aircraft type.

Japan is introducing a fleet of 42 F-35As to replace the Phantom, with pilots training on the fifth-generation fighter at Misawa Air Base in the north of Japan’s main island of Honshu as deliveries of Japan’s F-35s continue apace.

The 301 and 302 squadrons are due to permanently move to Misawa following the transition to the F-35.

Add to that the large tracts of ocean and the thousands of small, less well-off islands that are often vulnerable to natural disasters that lie within the command’s area, and it becomes clear airlift is a vital element in such a large theater to support logistical needs for U.S. military operations in the region.

One of the units performing such airlift missions is the 374th Airlift Wing, a U.S. Air Force unit based out of Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, Japan. Among the two flying squadrons assigned to the 374th AW is the 36th Airlift Squadron, which flies the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules tactical airlifter.

The squadron completed its transition to the C-130J earlier this year after having operated earlier variants of the venerable C-130 from 1966-1989 and again from 1993 until last year. According to the wing, the C-130J is quieter during takeoff, flies 14 percent faster and 800 miles further, and can carry 9,000 pounds more cargo than the C-130H model it operated before the transition.

Capt. Michael Pyles, a C-130 aircraft commander from the 36th AS, called it “perfect for the challenges of the Indo-Pacific AOR,” adding that “the C-130J has the unique capability of delivering cargo movement into formidable conditions.”

In addition, its smaller footprint and lighter weights can prove critical in operating from smaller, poor or damaged airfields, with Pyles citing the 374th AW’s relief efforts in Sulawesi, Indonesia, earlier this year as an example. On Sept. 28, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and an accompanying tsunami devastated the town of Palu and surrounding areas in Sulawesi. In response, the U.S. Air Force and regional counterparts mounted a relief effort, which saw four of the 14 C-130Js assigned to the wing deploy to the international airport Balikpapan in Indonesia’s Borneo island, where the relief operations control center was located, just across the Makassar Strait from Sulawesi.

During the three-and-a-half week deployment to Indonesia, the 374th AW C-130Js flew about 175 hours, delivering part of the more than 6 million pounds of relief supplies that were delivered during the operation. The C-130Js made the one-hour trip from Balikpapan to Palu’s airport and back daily, where, Pyles said, the taxiways had been cracked and weakened by the earthquake, creating a situation where only smaller aircraft could deliver the cargo.

Each flight typically carried five or six pallets of food, water, and housing structures. While on the ground at Palu, the aircraft were usually unloaded in 25 minutes with the engines still running to reduce time spent on the ground. As the taxi ramp on the small airport could only accommodate two C-130s at any given time, Pyles noted, an aircraft tended to be on approach to land at the field as another departed. This cycle would continue all day as planes landed and departed from Jakarta and Balikpapan.

Operation Christmas Drop

In addition to disaster relief missions, the 374th AW also trains with regional allies and partners. Operation Christmas Drop, an annual event in December conducted with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the Royal Australian Air Force from Guam, sees airlifters from the three countries conduct training for humanitarian assistance/disaster relief with low-cost, low-altitude airdrops on unsurveyed drop zones.

Operation Christmas Drop is the longest-running humanitarian airlift operation in the history of the U.S. Defense Department. It began in 1952, and today, crews from the three nations cover a geographic area of more than 1.8 million square miles during the event.

The training value from Operation Christmas Drop is beneficial to aircrews, maintainers and support personnel, said Master Sgt. Michael Davis of the public affairs division of the 374th AW. He added that the training helps provide critical supplies, such as bags of rice and farming tools, through airdrops to 56 Micronesian islands impacting about 20,000 people.

The supplies come from the Denton Program, which allows private U.S. citizens and organizations to use space available on U.S. military cargo planes to transport humanitarian goods to countries in need. Since its conception, Operation Christmas Drop has delivered more than 1 million pounds of goods throughout Micronesia, delivering life-improving equipment to residents on the islands.

These technologies include a new fighter engine, thrust vectoring control, stealth shaping for low observability as well as the weapons carriage and release mechanism for internal weapons bays, according to representatives from Japan’s Acquisition, Technical and Logistics Agency, or ATLA, who spoke at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo, which ended Nov. 30.

Several of these technologies were fitted on the Mitsubishi X-2, a technology demonstrator built by the Japanese and used to test and validate several of these features.

Since then Japan has continued development work on the 15-ton thrust XF-9 afterburning turbofan. That turbofan displayed an improvement up to 70 percent during the time it took to spool up to full thrust from idle, when compared to the earlier XF-5 used by the X-2, said Lt. Gen. Hiroaki Uchimura, director general of aerial systems at ATLA.

Japan is also working on an advanced active electronically scanned array radar, as well as manufacturing techniques to reduce or eliminate the need for fasteners in aircraft structures. Neither feature found its way to the X-2, but work continues on both fronts, with the radar having been tested in the laboratory and slated for flight tests onboard a Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jet test bed.

The continuing R&D effort is reflected in the budget requests the Ministry of Defense made for next fiscal year, which begins in April 2019. This includes $194.6 million for research into fighter “mission system integration studies and manned-unmanned aircraft teaming technology,” and is on top of the $1.7 billion Japan has invested in fighter research since 2009. That first figure is also more than 10 times the amount spent on R&D for Japan’s Mitsubishi F-2 fighter, according to Uchimura.

Japan’s next-generation fighter will replace the F-2 around the mid-2030s, and both Uchimura and ATLA Commissioner Nobuaki Miyama, who spoke at different conference sessions at the aerospace exhibition, touched on five critical attributes for Japan’s next fighter program.

These include its ability to secure air superiority over potential adversaries; the ease of upgrading as new technologies emerge; the latitude to domestically perform upgrades and sustainment without requiring overseas approval; the level of involvement of local industries in performing those upgrades and sustainment; and the need for the fighter and program as a whole to have a “realistic and feasible” cost.

Japan is currently studying several different procurement strategies for its next-generation fighter, including a wholly domestically developed and manufactured design, an international collaboration, or what it calls a “spinoff” development of an existing design.

Japan and the United Kingdom have agreed to exchange information with each other for their respective fighter programs. Reuters previously reported that both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman responded to Japan’s request for information on potential fighter offerings, with the former said to have an “F-22/F-35 hybrid” in mind.

Shigeyuki Uno, the principal deputy director of the defense planning and programming division of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, told Defense News during an interview at the ministry’s headquarters that the U.S. government and Boeing will provide support for the upgrade through the Foreign Military Sales process, adding that the Japanese defense and aircraft industry will also be involved.

The Defense Ministry requested $89 million to upgrade two of its F-15J/DJ interceptors in its latest budget request for its next fiscal year, presumably to serve as prototypes for the upgrade program. A further $386.7 million was requested for nonrecurring costs for the program.

The upgrades will cover what the budget request describes as “new electronic warfare equipment with the ability to respond to increased capabilities of neighboring countries’ air forces.” The upgrades are also expected to increase the number of missiles Japan’s F-15s can carry, as well as integrate standoff missiles such as the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile.

Boeing displayed a model of its Advanced F-15 Eagle concept carrying 18 air-to-air missiles at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo that ended Nov. 30, a significant increase from the maximum of eight carried by the F-15 in its current air defense configuration.

Uno also confirmed that the F-15J’s radar would be part of the upgrade, although the budget request document did not specifically mention that an improved radar will be part of the program.

While Uno did not say so, the new radar will almost certainly be an active electronically scanned array, as Boeing has a clear pathway integrating such radars on the F-15, with U.S. Air Force F-15C/Ds, Singapore’s F-15SGs and Saudi Arabia’s F-15SAs using the Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 radar, while American F-15E Strike Eagles are being fitted with the AN/APG-63(V)1 by the same company.

Uno added that Japan’s newer F-15J/DJs, which were originally built to Multi-Stage Improvement Program standards — of which about 88 were further upgraded in the past decade to incorporate additional improvements like Link 16 — will be the first to receive this latest round of improvements.

Japan’s midterm defense program guidelines, set to be released by the end of 2018, are expected to provide more details on this program, including the number of F-15s Japan plans to upgrade.

Mitsubishi built 213 F-15s under license for Japan between 1981 and 1999, of which some 200 remain in service with seven combat squadrons based throughout Japan, and one more acting as a dedicated aggressor unit.

TOKYO — Japan is requiring its new attack helicopters be equipped for shipboard operations, as the country looks to replace its legacy Bell/Fuji Heavy Industries AH-1S Cobra attack helos.

Japan’s request for information issued earlier this year called for the new helicopters to be marinized and able to operate from “expeditionary airfields or sea bases,”, said retired Lt. Gen. George Trautman, an adviser to Bell.

Speaking to Defense News at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo, the former U.S. Marine aviator and commander of Marine Corps aviation said the RFI requested pricing and information for “30, 40 and 50” helicopters. He added that a request for proposals is expected in the next three to four months.

Apart from Bell’s AH-1Z Viper offer, Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is proposing its UH-60J/JA Black Hawk helicopter fitted with stub wings and weapons stations. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has produced several variants of the Black Hawk and SH-60 Seahawk for the Japan Self-Defense Forces under licence with Sikorsky since the 1990s.

European manufacturer Airbus confirmed to Defense News that it is not offering its Tiger attack helicopter, and has not made a final decision on its offering. The company already has a footprint in Japan, as local emergency medical services operate the civilian H145, manufactured by Airbus. The company has also announced it is adding a maintenance, repair and overhaul complex adjacent to its existing facility in Kobe, Japan.

Other possible contenders for the competition include Boeing with the AH-64E Apache as well as Italy’s Leonardo with its AW249 attack helicopter currently in development.

Japan already uses the Apache, with 13 license-produced AH-64Ds currently in service. However, this was a much smaller number than the 62 helicopters it originally planned to manufacture, and like neighboring South Korea, Japan is reportedly unimpressed with the performance of the Apache’s Longbow radar.

According to Ayako Nakajima with Subaru’s defense programs division, the first prototype UH-X helicopter, which is based on the Bell 412EP family, has been built and is undergoing ground testing. These ground tests will be followed by its first flight and delivery to the Japanese government, which is expected in early 2019.

A Japanese photographer last week published an photo of the prototype with its engines running on the ground at Subaru’s facility in Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo.

The maiden flight will lead to the full-scale production of 150 UH-X helicopters for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, which plans to use the aircraft in a variety of missions, including disaster relief.

Join Defense News in Tokyo as we explore the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition!

Subaru, then known as Fuji Heavy Industries, won Japan’s UH-X tender in 2015 in partnership with Bell with an entry based on the Bell 412EPI variant. Subaru has since developed the Bell 412EPX featuring improved torque at low speeds, increased gross weights and a more robust gearbox that will be used for the UH-X and offered for sale to civilian operators.

When contacted for comment, George Trautman, an adviser to Bell, told Defense News at the show that “so far the program has been very successful and we have no reason to think that the 412EPX won’t be an incredible machine for both commercial and military use in Japan.”

Joel Malone told Defense News at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is continuing to train more pilots, maintainers and other support personnel on the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

F-35 jets with the JASDF are assigned to the Rinji F-35 Hkoutai, a temporary JASDF unit. Following the training of five more pilots and the delivery of more F-35s, the aircraft will be transferred to the JASDF’s 302 Hikoutai, which will retire its McDonnell Douglas/Mistubishi F-4EJ Kai Phantom IIs and move from Hyakuri, north of Tokyo, to Misawa in March 2019.

Japan initially trained a cadre of F-35 pilots and personnel with the 944th Operations Group and four of the JASDF’s aircraft at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The Japanese F-35s spent 18 months training at Luke AFB before returning earlier this year to Misawa, located at the northern part of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

Japan’s current program of record is for 42 F-35As. Malone declined to comment on reports that Japan is seeking up to 100 more F-35s, telling Defense News that it was “more appropriate for the Ministry of Defense and the JASDF air staff to comment on that.”

The media reports, quoting unnamed Japanese defense officials, said these included the F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant similar to those operated by the U.S. Marines in Japan.

Speaking during his regular news conference Tuesday, Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya confirmed that the ministry is evaluating the F-35B, although he stressed that a decision on its acquisition had not been made.

His comments come after Japan previously studied the possibility of converting its two Izumo-class helicopter destroyers to enable them to operate the F-35B, with a report released by the Defense Ministry in April 2018 concluding that was possible.

Iwaya added that both topics will be addressed in more detail in Japan’s National Defense Program Guidelines, expected to be released by the end of the year.

Speaking to Defense News at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo, retired Lt. Gen. George Trautman, a former U.S. Marine aviator and commander of all Marine Corps aviation who now works as an adviser for Bell, said “four or five” of the tilt rotors are ready for delivery at Patuxent River in the United States.

However, the Japanese government, which reportedly hoped to bring the aircraft into Japan this month, has run into opposition by local governments and residents near the planned Osprey base, due to fears over what they claim is the aircraft’s poor safety record.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force plans to temporarily base its Ospreys at Camp Kisarazu near Tokyo while it constructs additional facilities at Saga Airport near the city of Nagasaki, which is expected to become the permanent base of Japan’s tilt rotors.

This plan ran into opposition with local residents living near Camp Kisarazu, even though the base is already the site of a maintenance depot for American Ospreys based in Japan, and specifically Okinawa.

Other than the basing issue, Trautman said that the program is going well, adding that 13 or 17 aircraft are under contract with Japan and the aircraft are on Bell’s production line. The budget for the remaining four aircraft has been approved, and they are expected to be contracted sometime before the end of Japan’s current fiscal year, which ends in March 2019.

When asked if Japan was keen on acquiring more Ospreys, Trautman told Defense News there was “no formal dialogue” beyond the 17 aircraft for Japan.