The 305th Tactical Fighter Squadron () is a squadron of the

5th Air Wing Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

of the

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warf ...

based at

Nyutabaru Air Base is a military aerodrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It is located north of Miyazaki in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. In July 2021, Japan’s Defense Minister, Nobuo Kishi, announced that the base will host the F-35Bs of the JASDF. A ...

, in

Miyazaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,073,054 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders ...

, Japan. It is equipped with

Mitsubishi F-15J The Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather air superiority fighter based on the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle in use by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The F-15J was produced under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ...

and

Kawasaki T-4 The Kawasaki T-4 is a Japanese subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft developed and manufactured by the commercial conglomerate Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Its sole operator is the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), in part due to historic ...

aircraft. Thompson, Pau
JASDF - Squadron Histories
''J-HangarSpace'' Retrieved September 14, 2017

History

The squadron was founded on at

Hyakuri Air Base is an airport in the city of Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It also serves as an air base for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) under the name Hyakuri Air Base, and is the closest fighter base to Tokyo. The airport was known as p ...

Ibaraki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture ...

on December 1, 1978 with McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ aircraft at part of the

7th Air Wing The 7th Air Wing () is a Wing (military aviation unit), wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It comes under the authority of the Central Air Defense Force (Japan), Central Air Defense Force. It is based at Ibaraki Airport, Hyakuri Air Base in ...

. It replaced the 206th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which was disbanded. During this period the JASDF followed a system in which the numbering of a squadron was dependent on the type of aircraft it operated. Single digit squadrons operated the F-86F, 100-numbered squadrons operated the F-86D, 200-numbered squadrons operated the F-104J and the new squadrons operating the F-4 were numbered in the 300s. The squadron operated the F-4EJ for 15 years. On August 2, 1993 it upgraded to F-15J aircraft. On August 31 2016 it moved from Hyakuri Air Base to Nyutabaru Air Base, swapping with the F-4EJ Kai equipped 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron, which moved to Hyakuri. In August 2018 Misa Matsushima, the first female fighter pilot in the JASDF,Japan sees first woman qualify as fighter jet pilot August 24, 2018
'' Japan Times'' Retrieved August 30, 2018 was assigned to the squadron. Thompson, Pau
Bulletin Board
''J-HangarSpace'' Retrieved August 30, 2018

Tail marking

The squadron's current tail marking is of a

plum blossom ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

over a

Hinomaru The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white banner bearing a crimson-red circle at its center. This flag is officially called the , but is more commonly known in Japan as the . It embodies the country's sobriquet: the Land of the Rising S ...

Kairaku-en is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Overview Kairaku-en was built in the year 1842 by Tokugawa Nariaki, ''daimyō'' o ...

park located in Mito near Hyakuri Air Base in Ibaraki Prefecture is famous for its hundreds of plum blossom trees. The squadron using a plum blossom as its tail marking also continues the tradition of its predecessor the 206th TFS. That squadron used a different plum blossom design on the tails of its aircraft.

Aircraft operated

Fighter aircraft

* McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ (1978-1993) *

(1993-present)

Liaison aircraft

Lockheed T-33A The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

(1978-1993) *

(1992-present)

References