Simultaneously with the formation of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, the reconstruction of aviation component - Japan Air Self-Defense Force. In March 1954, the US-Japanese agreement on "military assistance" was signed, and in January 1960, the parties signed "an agreement on mutual cooperation and security guarantees." In accordance with these agreements, the Air Self-Defense Forces began to receive American-made aircraft.
Fighter F-86F Saber
The first Japanese air wing was organized on October 1, 1956, which included 68 T-33A Shooting Star two-seat jet trainers and 20 F-86F Sabers. In January 1957, there were 135 F-86F jet fighters in Japan.
A fighter with a maximum takeoff weight of 8234 kg had a practical flight range of 2450 km. With the suspension of two 454 kg bombs and two tanks with a capacity of 760 liters, the combat radius of action reached 660 km. The maximum speed in level flight is 1106 km / h. Built-in armament - six 12,7 mm machine guns.
Japanese fighter F-86F Saber
The Japanese government attached great importance to the development of its own aviation industry, in connection with which a license was acquired from North American to manufacture the Saber.
Although this fighter was already partly outdated by the time serial construction began, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries assembled another 1956 F-1961F fighters from 300 to 86.
In the early 1960s, Japanese F-86F fighters were equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder thermal homing missiles, which significantly increased the ability to combat air targets. However, as an interceptor, the Saber by the early 1970s could no longer be considered modern. The fighter, which did not have an on-board radar, was able to independently search for an air target only during daylight hours, and the subsonic flight speed often did not allow it to take an advantageous position for an attack and catch up with an air enemy. In this regard, after the adoption of the F-4ЕJ Phantom II interceptor, in the mid-1970s, the F-86F Saber fighters were mainly reoriented to solving shock missions and used for training flights. The Sabers served with the Air Defense Force until 1982.
Fighter-interceptor F-104J
Realizing that the existing Saber fighters by the beginning of the 1960s no longer met modern requirements, the command of the Self-Defense Forces began to look for a replacement for them. In those years, the concept became widespread, according to which air combat in the future would be reduced to supersonic interception of attack aircraft and missile duels between fighters.
These ideas were fully consistent with the Lockheed F-1950 Starfighter supersonic fighter developed by Lockheed in the late 104s. During the design of this aircraft, high speed characteristics were put at the forefront.
In the early 1960s, despite the high accident rate, the Starfighter became one of the main fighters of the Air Force in many countries, produced in various modifications, including in Japan.
In November 1960, the Japanese government announced that the F-104 would be assigned the primary air superiority and interception missions. Shortly thereafter, a Japanese consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries received permission to license Starfighter in Japan. The first few Japanese F-104s were assembled from parts supplied directly from the United States, and later full-scale production of fighters began on their own. The Japanese Starfighter received the designation F-104J (J - Japan).
Japanese fighter-interceptor F-104J
On March 8, 1962, the first Japanese-assembled Starfighter was rolled out of the gates of the Mitsubishi plant in the city of Komaki. From 1963 to 1966, 7 combat squadrons were formed (from 201 to 207). In total, by 1967, the Air Self-Defense Forces had received 230 single and double Starfighters.
By design, this modification was almost a complete copy of the West German F-104G, except that the Japanese fighter was intended exclusively for intercepting air targets, and all weapons control equipment for attacking ground targets was dismantled. This is due to the fact that at that time the Japanese government, in accordance with the constitution, refused to have aircraft that were capable of striking ground targets.
The F-104J fighter had very impressive acceleration characteristics and was very well suited for the role of an interceptor. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft reached 13 kg, while the total capacity of the fuel tanks was 170 liters. The maximum speed at the ground is 2650 km / h, at high altitude - 1473 km / h. Service ceiling - 2123 m. Service range - 18 km. To combat aerial targets, the built-in 300-mm six-barreled M1740A20 cannon and the AIM-61 Sidewinder melee guided missiles could be used.
In comparison with the Saber, the supersonic Starfighter had a very advanced avionics. The LN3-2 inertial navigation system, developed by Litton Industries, made it possible to fly in adverse weather conditions day and night. The aircraft was equipped with equipment coupled with the Japanese air defense system BADGE, providing guidance to the interceptor in a semi-automatic mode. The Autonetics NASARR F15A radar could detect a target at a distance of up to 30 km, which was very good for the early 1960s. However, to bombard the target with the AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, which were armed with the Japanese Starfighters, it was necessary to establish stable visual contact with the aim. The effective launch range of the UR when attacking a bomber flying at a speed of 900 km / h from the rear hemisphere did not exceed 3 km. In preparation for the use of AIM-9B missiles, the interceptor pilot had to be very careful, since there was a high probability that the thermal homing head would capture the sun or brightly lit clouds.
The Japanese used their F-104Js only as interceptors, so the Starfighter in Japan had a relatively low accident rate. For more than 20 years of active service, approximately 15% of all existing Starfighters have been lost in flight accidents. For the sake of fairness, it must be said that the peers of the F-104J - the Soviet fighters MiG-21F-13, Su-7B and Su-9 had a greater percentage of losses in accidents and disasters. Many Japanese pilots who had previously piloted the F-104J and subsequently transferred to the heavier F-4EJ believed that the Starfighter was significantly superior to the Phantom in terms of climb and acceleration characteristics.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Japanese fighters in the eternal parking lot of the Hyakuri airbase
Currently, several surviving Japanese F-104Js, along with other aircraft of the Air Self-Defense Forces, are installed in permanent parking areas in the vicinity of Japanese air bases.
F-104J fighter on display at Ishikawa Aviation Plaza in Komatsu
These very impressive externally fighters also look great in museum collections and invariably attract the attention of the public.
Fighter-interceptor F-4ЕJ Phantom II
In the second half of the 1960s, the Starfighter began to be regarded as an obsolete machine. The leadership of the Air Self-Defense Forces wanted an interceptor with a more powerful airborne radar station, capable of aiming at a target using signals from the ground without the participation of the crew and using missile weapons at unobservable targets. In this regard, in January 1969, the Japanese cabinet of ministers raised the issue of equipping the country's air force with a new fighter-interceptor, which was supposed to replace the F-104J.
The most suitable candidate was the American third-generation multirole fighter McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. But the Japanese, when ordering the F-4EJ variant, set a condition for it to be a "clean" interceptor fighter. The Americans did not mind, and the equipment for work on ground targets was removed from the Japanese Phantom, but the air-to-air armament was reinforced. All this was done in accordance with the Japanese concept of "only in the interests of defense."
The flight data of the Japanese interceptor practically did not differ from the characteristics of the US Air Force F-4E fighter. The maximum takeoff weight of the F-4EJ was 26 kg. The maximum flight speed at high altitude is 308 km / h. Practical range - 2390 km. Service ceiling - 2590 16 km. The fighter was equipped with an AN / APQ-600 radar with a range of 120 km. In addition to the pilot, the crew included an armament operator. The main weapons interceptors were considered the UR AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder. In close combat, the 20-mm built-in M61A1 cannon could be used.
Japanese fighter-interceptor with F-4EJ Phantom II
The F-4EJ was the first Air Defense Forces fighter to be armed with medium-range air-to-air missiles. Its armament, in addition to 4 AIM-9 Sidewinder melee missiles, could include 4 AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range missiles with a semi-active radar seeker. Initially, the Japanese "Phantoms" were armed with medium-range missiles of the AIM-7E modification with a head-on launch range of up to 35 km. Such missiles had a rod warhead weighing 30 kg with a proximity fuse. In the late 1970s, the Japanese received the AIM-7F missile launcher with a launch range of up to 70 km, with a warhead weighing 39 kg.
F-4EJ, built by McDonnell, took off in January 1971. The next 11 aircraft were delivered as kits and assembled in Japan. The first licensed Japanese-built aircraft took off for the first time on May 12, 1972. Subsequently, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries built 127 F-4FJs under license. The Japanese installed various equipment of their own production, including the J / APR-2 rear-view radar, as well as the data transmission equipment of the Japanese automated air defense system BADGE.
A "softening" of Tokyo's approaches to offensive weapons, including in the Air Force, began to be observed in the second half of the 1970s. This happened under pressure from the United States after the adoption in 1978 of the so-called "Guiding Principles for Japanese-American Defense Cooperation." Prior to this, no joint actions, even exercises of the self-defense forces and American units on the territory of Japan were conducted. Since then, much, including in the performance characteristics of aviation technology, in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces has changed in the expectation of joint offensive actions.
For example, air refueling equipment began to be installed on the still produced F-4EJ fighters. The last Phantom for the Japanese Air Force was built in 1981. But already in 1984, a program was adopted to extend their service life. At the same time, "Phantoms" began to be equipped with bombing means.
Japanese fighter F-4EJ Kai Phantom II
Most of the "Phantoms", which had a large residual resource, were upgraded to the level of F-4EJ Kai during major overhauls. On the modernized fighters, the avionics were improved, new means of communication and information display were installed. Since the second half of the 1980s, Japanese fighters have been flying with the UR AIM-7M. This rocket with a launch weight of 231 kg is equipped with a monopulse radar seeker, which has increased the missile's capabilities to defeat low-flying targets and noise immunity. In the early 1990s, a Japanese-made AAM-3 melee missile was added to the armament.
On November 20, 2020, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces, after 48 years of service, officially parted ways with the F-4EJ fighter. During the farewell ceremony, two Phantoms of the 301st Squadron made their last flight over the Hyakuri airbase.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Japanese F-4EJ fighters at Hyakuri airbase, the image was taken in 2018
It is noteworthy that before becoming the last squadron to fly an F-4, the 301st was the first squadron to receive an F-4EJ in 1972.
Fighter F-15J
In July 1975, the Japanese Defense Agency announced a competition for a promising air defense interceptor. From several possible candidates, which included the Grumman F-14, General Dynamics F-16, Northrop F-17, Dassault Mirage F1, SAAB J37 and Panavia Tornado IDS, the American F-15 Eagle heavy fighter was chosen. In 1978, an agreement was reached on obtaining a license, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was determined as the main manufacturer in Japan.
Japanese fighter F-15J
Structurally and in terms of its characteristics, the Japanese F-15J is similar to the F-15C, but equipped with simplified electronic warfare equipment. The F-15J fighter has a maximum takeoff weight of 30 kg. The practical flight range without outboard tanks is 845 km. Service ceiling - 2800 m
UR melee AAM-3 under the wing of the F-15J
Initially, the armament consisted of an integrated 20mm Vulcan JM61A1 cannon, as well as AIM-9L Sidewinder and AIM-7F / M Sparrow aerial combat missiles. In 1990, the Japanese AAM-3 melee missile missile system was added to the ammunition load of the Japanese "Eagles".
This missile is the fruit of the collective creativity of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (engine, control system and hull), NEC (seeker and proximity fuse), Komatsu Ltd (guided blast fragmentation warhead), and, according to a spokesman for the Air Self-Defense Forces, for maneuverability and the probability of hitting the target is superior to the American AIM-9L Sidewinder. The mass of the rocket in the firing position is 91 kg. The maximum launch range is 13 km. Maximum speed - 2,5 M.
The Japanese Self-Defense Forces purchased 203 single-seat F-15Js and 20 two-seat F-15DJs, of which 2 F-15Js and 12 F-15DJs were supplied by McDonnell Douglas. An F-15J built in St. Louis, Missouri took off on June 4, 1980. In addition, 8 F-15Js were manufactured as vehicle kits and sent to Japan for final assembly. The lead aircraft from this batch made its first flight on August 26, 1981. At the end of 1981, Mitsubishi mastered the final assembly of the aircraft. In total, from 1982 to 1999, 223 aircraft were manufactured in Japan with a two-seater modification. Thus, the Air Defense Forces has the second largest fleet of fighters of the F-15 family after the US Air Force, and Japan accounts for more than 50% of this type of fighters operated outside the United States.
Double F-15DJ 306 Squadron
In December 1981, the first F-15J / DJs entered the 202nd Tactical Fighter Squadron based at Nyutabaru. Subsequently, a training center was opened here, in which Japanese pilots underwent retraining. Apparently, the process of mastering the new fighter was not easy. Full combat readiness was announced in March 1984, when the F-15J replaced the F-104J in the 203rd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Chitose Air Force Base in Hokkaido.
F-15J fighters at Chitose airbase
The choice of the base location for the first combat squadron, equipped with the most modern fighters at that time, was no coincidence: the Chitose airbase was the closest airbase with a capital runway in relation to Sakhalin Island and the Primorsky Territory. F-15J / DJ fighters were primarily used to rearmament squadrons equipped with Starfighters.
In 1986, it was the turn of the squadrons flying the Phantoms on March 19, 1986 - the 15rd squadron based on Komatsu, whose pilots had previously flown the F-303EJ, transferred to the F-4J / DJ. At first, the accident rate of the F-15J / DJ was quite high, during the first 10 years of operation, 5 aircraft were lost, and in total 12 Japanese Eagles crashed in accidents and disasters.
I must say that after the commissioning of the Japanese F-15Js, the balance of power in the Far East changed noticeably not in favor of the USSR. In the mid-1980s, the basis of Soviet fighter aviation in this area was made up of the MiG-21bis, MiG-23P / ML, MiG-25PD / PDS and Su-15TM. All these Soviet fighters were inferior to the "Eagle" in maneuverability, avionics characteristics and had no superiority in armament. The situation began to improve after the start of deliveries of the Su-27P heavy fighter to the combatant regiments. The first aircraft of this type in 1986 received the 60th IAP, based at the Dzemgi airfield in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Subsequently, Japan upgraded its F-15J / DJ fighters with new air-to-air missiles and advanced electronic systems. But this will be discussed in the part devoted to the current state of Japanese fighter aircraft.
In the next part of the Japanese air defense review, we will look at the anti-aircraft missile systems that were in service with the Japan Self-Defense Forces during the Cold War.
Продолжение следует ...