Oroku Peninsula in
Naha,
Okinawa
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi).
...
, Japan.
History
Imperial Period
Naha Airfield was constructed in 1933 as Oroku Naval Air Base, an air base of the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
(IJN). In 1936 control of the air base was transferred to the Japanese Ministry of Communications and formally renamed Naha Airfield. In 1942 control of the air base again reverted to the IJN, which reverted the name of the installation to Oroku Naval Air Base. The facility was captured by the United States during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in the
Battle of Okinawa
The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...
on 1 April 1945.
US period
After World War II the installation became a major United States Air Force (USAF) base under the operational control of
Pacific Air Forces
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...
(PACAF), and was known as Naha Air Base (Naha AB). The installation became a joint military-civilian air field in 1954 with the resumption of civilian air service between Tokyo and Okinawa. The USAF ended its use of Naha AB on 31 May 1971 and control of civil aviation was transferred to the
Japanese Ministry of Transportation, which established Naha Airport on the site; control of the military air field was officially transferred to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 1979.
Post-US period
Japanese F-15s have been stationed there, with a second squadron of F-15s added in 2014.
Former USAF units
Major USAF units assigned to Naha AB were:
* Headquarters,
301st Fighter Wing, 12 May 1947 – 20 January 1949
*
51st Fighter Group, 22 May 1947 – 22 September 1950
:
16th Fighter Squadron, 22 May 1947 – 22 September 1950 (
F-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...
)
:
25th Fighter Squadron, 22 May 1947 – 22 September 1950 (
F-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...
)
:
26th Fighter Squadron, 22 May 1947 – 22 September 1950 (
F-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...
)
*
4th Fighter (All-Weather) Squadron, 19 August 1948 – 16 February 1953 (
P-61 Black Widow,
F-82 Twin Mustang)
: Assigned to:
347th Fighter (later Fighter-All Weather) Group,
Kadena Air Base
(IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...
, Okinawa
:: Attached to:
51st Fighter (later Fighter-Interceptor) Group), 19 August 1948
: Assigned to:
Twentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.
20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...
, 24 June 1950
:: Attached to:
51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 24 June 1950
::: Flight of 8 aircraft attached to 347th Provisional Fighter Group (All Weather),
Itazuke Air Base, Japan, 27 June – 5 July 1950 for combat missions in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
:: Attached to: 6302d Air Base Group, 20 September 1950
:: Attached to: 6351st Air Base Wing, 25 June 1951–16 February 1953
* Redesignated:
4th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
(
F-94 Starfire
The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather, day/night interceptor of the United States Air Force. A twin-seat craft, it was developed from the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer in the late 1940s. It reached ope ...
)
: Assigned to: 6351st Air Base Wing, 25 February-1 August 1954
* 6351st Air Base Wing, 22 September 1950 – 1 August 1954
*
51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 1 August 1954 – 31 May 1971
:
16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and .
In English speech, ...
, 1 August 1954 – 31 May 1971, (
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
,
F-102 Delta Dagger
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft designed and manufactured by Convair.
Built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s, it entered service in 1956. Its main purpo ...
)
:
25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 August 1954 – 8 June 1960, (
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
)
:
26th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smalles ...
, 1 August 1954 – 11 July 1955, (
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
)
*
623rd Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron, 20 December 1957 – 8 July 1973
: Assigned to:
313th Air Division
The 313th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 1 October 1991.
History
The unit's origins begin with the World War II 31 ...
, 15 March 1955 – 17 July 1960
:: Attached to:
51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 27 March 1958 – 17 July 1960
: Assigned to:
51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 18 July 1960 – 20 May 1971
: Assigned to:
18th Tactical Fighter Wing
The United States Air Force's 18th Wing is the host wing for Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan and is the Air Force's largest combat wing. It is the largest and principal organization in the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force.
The Wing's 18th Oper ...
, 21 May 1971 – 8 July 1973
*
21st Troop Carrier (Tactical Airlift) Squadron 15 November 1958 – 31 May 1971, (
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechan ...
,
C-130 Hercules
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 ...
)
: Assigned to: 483rd Troop Carrier Wing (1958–1960);
315th Air Division (1960–1963) 6315th Operations Group (1963–1966); 374th Tactical Airlift Wing (1966–1971)
* 35th Troop Carrier Squadron (
315th Air Division), 8 January 1963 – 8 August 1966, (
C-130 Hercules
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 ...
)
* 817th Troop Carrier Squadron (
315th Air Division), 25 June 1960 – 8 August 1966, (
C-130 Hercules
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 ...
)
Current SDF units
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 ...
*
9th Air Wing
**
204th Tactical Fighter Squadron
The 204th Tactical Fighter Squadron () is a squadron of the 9th Air Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It is based at Naha Air Base, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is equipped with Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ and Kawasaki T-4 aircraft.Thompson ...
(
F-15J/DJ)(
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 ...
)
**
304th Tactical Fighter Squadron
The 304th Tactical Fighter Squadron () is a squadron of the 9th Air Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It is based at Naha Air Base, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is equipped with Mitsubishi F-15J, Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ and Kawasaki T-4 ai ...
(
F-15J/DJ)(
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 ...
)
**
Southwestern Air Command Support Flight (
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 ...
)
*
603rd Squadron (
E-2C
The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft ...
)
*
Air Rescue Wing
**
Naha Helicopter Airlift Squadron (
CH-47J)
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...
* 15th Brigade
** 15th Helicopter Squadron (
LR-2)(
UH-60JA)(
CH-47JA)
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
, abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJ ...
* 5th Air Fleet Squadron (
P-3C)
* Naha Base 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 ...
)
The Okinawa Prefectural Police, and the
Japan Coast Guard
The is the coast guard of Japan.
The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...
also utilize facilities at Naha Airport.
As of 2013, funding in the region of ¥0.3 billion has been requested for preparing the base to host JASDF
E-2C
The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft ...
aircraft, including ¥70million for new repair and maintenance facilities.
[Defense Programs and Budgets of Japan; Overview of FY2013 Budget Request]
Downloaded from Ministry of Defense english website on 5 June 2013.
See also
*
Naval Base Okinawa
References
{{authority control
Japan Air Self-Defense Force bases
Installations of the United States Air Force in Japan
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Occupied Japan
Airports established in 1933
1933 establishments in Japan