Air Rescue Wing (JASDF)
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The is a
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
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 ...
. Responsible for airborne search and rescue, it is headquartered at
Iruma Air Base is a 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 oper ...
in Saitama Prefecture and controls squadrons and detachments across Japan. The helicopter airlift squadrons were previously under the authority of Air Support Command. It is equipped with CH-47J,
UH-60J The Mitsubishi H-60 series is twin-turboshaft engine helicopter based on the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter family for use by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The SH-60J/K/L are anti-submarine patrol versions for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense ...
and
U-125A The British Aerospace 125 is a twinjet mid-size business jet. Originally developed by de Havilland and initially designated as the DH.125 Jet Dragon, it entered production as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125, which was the designation used until 1 ...
aircraft.


History

From 2009 the Air Rescue Wing began training in
air-to-air refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
with US forces, and from 2010 two of the JASDF's
401st Tactical Airlift Squadron The is a squadron of the 1st Tactical Airlift Group (JASDF), 1st Tactical Airlift Group of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) based at Nagoya Airfield, Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is equipped with Lockheed C-130 Hercules, ...
C-130H The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desi ...
aircraft were given air-to-air refueling equipment, allowing them to refuel
UH-60J The Mitsubishi H-60 series is twin-turboshaft engine helicopter based on the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter family for use by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The SH-60J/K/L are anti-submarine patrol versions for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense ...
helicopters. In June 2017 UH-60JA aircraft of the wing practiced night air-to-air refueling with US forces. On May 28, 2013 the Air Rescue Wing Naha Detachment rescued the pilot of an
F-15C The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...
of the
US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...
's 44th Fighter Squadron that had crashed into the ocean off Okinawa. On October 17, 2017 a JASDF
UH-60J The Mitsubishi H-60 series is twin-turboshaft engine helicopter based on the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter family for use by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The SH-60J/K/L are anti-submarine patrol versions for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense ...
of the Hamamatsu Detachment of the Air Rescue Wing crashed into the sea off Shizuoka Prefecture while conducting night rescue drills. Wreckage was found but the four crew members were not located. On June 11, 2018 the Naha Detachment rescued the pilot of another US F-15C of the 44th Fighter Squadron that had ejected over the sea off Okinawa.


Units

* Air Rescue Squadron (
UH-60J The Mitsubishi H-60 series is twin-turboshaft engine helicopter based on the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter family for use by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The SH-60J/K/L are anti-submarine patrol versions for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense ...
,
U-125A The British Aerospace 125 is a twinjet mid-size business jet. Originally developed by de Havilland and initially designated as the DH.125 Jet Dragon, it entered production as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125, which was the designation used until 1 ...
) ** Air Rescue Wing Chitose Detachment (
Chitose Air Base , is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base located in Chitose, Hokkaidō, adjacent to New Chitose Airport. It is the JASDF's primary base in northern Japan and tasked with monitoring Japan's maritime borders with Russia. It was also Hokkaidō ...
) ** Air Rescue Wing Matsushima Detachment (
Matsushima Air Base is a military aerodrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force located in Higashimatsushima, west of Ishinomaki in the Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Headquarters for the 4th Air Wing (JASDF), the base is primarily used for training, and is the home ...
) ** Air Rescue Wing Ashiya Detachment ( Ashiya Air Base) ** Air Rescue Wing Akita Detachment (
Akita Airport is a regional/second class airport located southeast of Akita StationAIS Japan
in the city of
Air Rescue Wing Hyakuri Detachment (
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 ...
) ** Air Rescue Wing Nyutabaru Detachment (
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 ...
) ** Air Rescue Wing Niigata Detachment (
Niigata Airport is a second class airport located northeast of Niigata Station in Niigata, Japan. History The first airport on the Sea of Japan coast of Japan was opened on an island in the Shinano River in 1929. This airport was moved to what was then the ...
) ** Air Rescue Wing Hamamatsu Detachment (
Hamamatsu Air Base is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base located north of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in central Japan. History Hamamatsu Air Base was established in 1925 as an Imperial Japanese Army Air Force base to be home to the newly f ...
) ** Air Rescue Wing Naha Detachment (
Naha Air Base , formally known as the , is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport on the Oroku Peninsula in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. History Imperial Period Naha Air ...
) ** Air Rescue Wing Komatsu Detachment ( Komatsu Air Base) ** Air Rescue Wing Komaki Detachment (Training squadron) (
Komaki Air Base , also known as Komaki Airport or Nagoya Airport, is an airport which lies within the local government areas of Toyoyama, Komaki, Kasugai and Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was once an international airport, but is now a domestic sec ...
) * Squadrons ( CH-47J) ** Iruma Helicopter Airlift Squadron (
Iruma Air Base is a 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 oper ...
) ** Kasuga Helicopter Airlift Squadron (
Kasuga Air Base is a base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in Kasuga, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The base serves as the headquarter of Western Air Defense Force (WADF), with its Area of Responsibility encompassing Kyushu, Shikoku and the Chūgoku region on ...
) ** Misawa Helicopter Airlift Squadron (
Misawa Air Base is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...
) ** Naha Helicopter Airlift Squadron (
Naha Air Base , formally known as the , is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport on the Oroku Peninsula in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. History Imperial Period Naha Air ...
)


Aircraft operated

* CH-47J *
UH-60J The Mitsubishi H-60 series is twin-turboshaft engine helicopter based on the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter family for use by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The SH-60J/K/L are anti-submarine patrol versions for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense ...
*
U-125A The British Aerospace 125 is a twinjet mid-size business jet. Originally developed by de Havilland and initially designated as the DH.125 Jet Dragon, it entered production as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125, which was the designation used until 1 ...


References

Units of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force {{Japan-mil-stub