home » Style and fashion » Japanese Air Force Second World War. The state and development prospects of the Japanese air force. Composition of the Japanese Air Force

Japanese Air Force Second World War. The state and development prospects of the Japanese air force. Composition of the Japanese Air Force

The imperialist circles of Japan continue to actively build up the country's military potential under the guise of creating "defensive forces", of which aviation is an integral part.

Judging by the foreign press, the revival of the Japanese Air Force began in the 1950s as part of the “public security corps” created with the direct assistance of the Pentagon. After the conversion of this corps into "self-defense forces" (July 1954), aviation was assigned as an independent form of the armed forces. By this time, its number was about 6300 people, it had about 170 obsolete American-made aircraft. In 1956, the Air Force (16 thousand people) already included two aviation wings, four control and warning groups, and six aviation schools. The aircraft were based at eight airfields.

According to the foreign press, the formation of the Air Force was basically completed by the beginning of the 60s. They included a combat aviation command with three aviation directions that had aviation wings (four fighter and one transport). Pilots trained in the training aviation command, and ground specialists - in five aviation technical schools, combined into a training technical center, which was then transformed into a training aviation technical command. At that time, the supply of units and subunits was occupied by the MTO command, which included three supply centers. In total, the Air Force had 40 thousand people.

An important role in the subsequent development of the Japanese air force was played by the third and fourth five-year programs for the construction of the armed forces. According to the third program (financial years 1967/68 - 1971/72), obsolete F-86F and F-104J fighters were replaced by F-4EJ aircraft (Fig. 1), manufactured by Japanese industry under an American license. The RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft were purchased. The C-4G piston transport aircraft was replaced by its own S-1 transport jet aircraft (Fig. 2), and a supersonic training aircraft T-2 was designed to train the flight crew (Fig. 3). On the basis of the latter, a single-seat aircraft of direct aviation support FS-T2 was developed.

Fig. 1. Fighter F-4EJ Phantom

During the implementation of the fourth program (fiscal years 1972/73 - 1976/77), the main task of which is the radical modernization of the Japanese armed forces, including the Air Force, the supply of new aviation equipment continues. As reported in the foreign press, by April 1, 1975, there were already about 60 F-4EJ fighters in the air force (a total of 128 aircraft were planned to be purchased). From the second half of 1975, it was expected that the FS-T2 aircraft would be delivered (68 units ordered).

The country began to create an air defense system in the early 60s. Along with the fighter aviation, which formed its basis, missile divisions of the SAM were included in it. In 1964, there were already two Nike-Ajax SAM groups (each with an anti-aircraft missile division). According to the plans of the third program for the construction of the armed forces, two groups of Nike-J missiles (the Japanese version of the missile) were formed. In 1973, another group of these missiles was added to them. At the same time, Nike-Ajax missiles were replaced by Nike-J missiles.

Fig. 2. Transport aircraft S-1

The following is a brief description of the current state of the Japanese Air Force.

Composition of the Japanese Air Force

In mid-1975, the number of personnel of the Japanese Air Force was about 45 thousand people. More than 500 combat aircraft were in service (including up to 60 F-4EJ fighters, over 170 F-104J, about 250 F-86F and almost 20 RF-4E and RF-86F reconnaissance aircraft), about 400 auxiliary aircraft (more than 35 transport and 350 training aircraft). In addition, there were at least 20 helicopters and approximately 150 Nike-J missiles. Aviation was based on 15 air bases and airfields.

Fig. 3. Training aircraft T-2

Japan Air Force Organization

The Japanese Air Force includes the headquarters of the Air Force, combat aviation command, training aviation and aviation technical command, MTO command, as well as units of central subordination (Fig. 4). The Air Force Commander is also the Chief of Staff.

Fig. 4. Organization chart of the Japanese Air Force

The combat aviation command is not the highest operational association of the Air Force. It consists of a headquarters located in Futyu (near Tokyo), three aviation directions, a separate fighter aviation group on about. Okinawa, separate units and subunits, including reconnaissance aircraft squadron.

The aviation sector is considered to be a specific operational-territorial organizational unit, characteristic only of the Japanese Air Force. In accordance with the territorial division of the country into three air defense zones (Northern, Central and Western), three aviation directions have been created. The commander of each of them is responsible for the activities of aviation and air defense in the area of \u200b\u200bhis responsibility. The general organization of the aviation direction is shown in Fig. 5. Organizational directions differ only in the number of aviation wings and SAM groups.

Fig. 5 Scheme of organization of the aviation direction

The northern air direction (headquarters at Misawa Air Base) covers about. Hokkaido and the north-eastern part of the island. Honshu. It houses a fighter aviation wing and a separate fighter aviation group armed with F-4EJ and F-1U4J aircraft, as well as the Nike-J missile group.

The central aviation direction (Irumagawa Air Base) is responsible for the defense of the central part of Fr. Honshu. It includes three fighter aircraft wings (F-4FJ, F-104J and F-86F aircraft) and two groups of Nike-J missiles.

The western air direction (Kasuga air base) provides cover for the southern part of the island. Honshu, as well as the Shikoku and Kyushu Islands. Its combat forces comprise two fighter aircraft wings (F-104J and F-86F aircraft), as well as two groups of Nike-J missiles. For the defense of the Ryukyu archipelago on about. Okinawa (Paha airbase) has a separate fighter aviation group (F-104J aircraft) operatively subordinate to this direction and the Nike-J missile group included in it. Here are the units: MTO, control and warning, as well as the base.

As reported in the foreign press, the fighter aviation wing (Fig. 6) is the main tactical unit of the Japanese Air Force. It has a headquarters, a combat group (two or three fighter squadrons), an MTO group consisting of five units for various purposes, and an aerodrome maintenance group (seven to eight units).

Fig. 6 Organization chart fighter wing

The control and warning wing operates in the area of \u200b\u200bits direction (air defense sector). Its main task is the timely detection of air targets, their identification, as well as notification of the commanders of the air defense units and subunits about the air enemy and guidance of fighters on it. The wing includes: headquarters, air traffic control group, three to four control and warning groups, MTO and basic maintenance groups. The wings of control and warning of the North and West aviation directions are subordinated to one mobile detachment of detection and warning, designed to strengthen radar coverage in the most important directions or to replace failed stationary radars.

The Nike-J missile group can hit air targets at medium and high altitudes. It consists of a headquarters, a missile division of three- or four-battery composition (nine launchers per battery), an MTO detachment, and a service detachment.

The MTO aviation division is responsible for organizing the supply of units and subunits with military equipment, weapons, ammunition and other military equipment.

A separate reconnaissance aviation squadron (Irumagawa airfield), directly subordinate to the headquarters of the combat aviation command, is equipped with aircraft RF-4E and RF-80F. It has a headquarters, an MTO squad, and an aerodrome maintenance squad.

The training aviation command provides training for the airborne flight personnel. It includes a headquarters, one fighter and three training aviation wings, as well as a training squadron. Training is conducted on aircraft T-1A, T-2, T-33A and F-86F.

The training aviation technical command, uniting five aviation technical schools, trains specialists for supporting and auxiliary services of the air force.

The MTO command is involved in the long-term planning, procurement and distribution of military equipment, weapons and supplies in accordance with the needs of combat and auxiliary units and units of the Air Force. MTO subordinate to three supply bases.

Parts of the central subordination include the transport aviation wing and the wing of rescue aircraft. The first is intended for the transfer of troops and cargo by air, as well as for the landing of airborne assault forces. The wing includes: headquarters, a transport aviation group, which includes two aviation squadrons and a training aviation squad (S-1, YS-11 and S-40 aircraft), as well as MTO and aerodrome service groups. The task of the second wing is to search and rescue the crews of aircraft (helicopters) that have crashed directly over Japanese territory or over coastal waters. The constituent elements of the wing are the headquarters, eight rescue teams deployed in various regions of the country, a training squadron, and an MTO group. It is armed with MIJ-2, T-34 aircraft and S-G2, Y-107 helicopters.

Japan's air defense is organized and conducted according to a unified plan of command of the armed forces using F-4EJ, F-104J, F-8GF and Nike-J missiles from the air force. In addition, for these purposes, 3URs available in the Japanese ground forces are involved (seven anti-aircraft groups - up to 160 anti-aircraft launchers). Airspace surveillance is carried out by 28 radar stations. An automated system is used for centralized control of air defense forces and means.

The combat training of the Japanese Air Force personnel is aimed primarily at working out the country's air defense tasks. The crews of tactical fighters and transport aircraft are trained to complete the tasks of air support and support the actions of the ground forces and, to a lesser extent, the naval forces.

The Japanese military leadership believes that the country's aviation capabilities do not fully meet the modern requirements of warfare, primarily because most of the aviation equipment in service is worn out. In this regard, measures are being taken to replace the obsolete F-86F and F-104J fighters. To this end, Japanese experts are studying the combat capabilities of fighters of foreign countries (American F-16, F-15 and F-14, Swedish, French and others), the production of which could be mastered at Japanese enterprises under licenses. In addition, Japanese firms are increasing the production of modern aircraft F-4FJ, FS-T2, S-1 and T-2.

Information about the Japanese Air Force published in the foreign press shows that the aircraft in their arsenal are constantly improving in quality terms, and the organizational structure is being systematically improved. Characteristic in the construction of the Air Force is that they are increasingly equipped with aircraft of their own production.

The twentieth century was a period of intensive development of military aviation in many European countries. The reason for the emergence was the need of states for air defense and missile defense of economic and political centers. The development of military aviation was observed not only in Europe. The twentieth century is a time of building up the strength of the Air Force, which also sought to protect itself, strategic and state-important facilities.

How it all began? Japan in the years 1891-1910

In 1891, the first aircraft were launched in Japan. These were models using rubber motors. Over time, a larger one was created, in the design of which there was a drive and a pushing screw. But this product of the Japanese Air Force was not interested. The birth of aviation took place in 1910, after the acquisition of Farman and Grande aircraft.

1914 year. First air battle

The first attempts to use Japanese military aircraft were made in September 1914. At this time, the army of the Land of the Rising Sun, together with England and France opposed the Germans stationed in China. The year before these events, the Japanese Air Force purchased for training purposes two two-seater “Newpor NG” and one three-seater “Newpor NM” 1910 release. Soon, these air units began to be used for fighting. The Japanese Air Force in 1913 had at its disposal four Farman aircraft, which were designed for reconnaissance. Over time, they began to be used for air strikes against the enemy.

In 1914, German aviation attacked the fleet in Qingatao. Germany at that time used one of its best aircraft, the Taub. During this military campaign, Japanese Air Force planes made 86 sorties and dropped 44 bombs.

1916-1930 years. Activities of manufacturing companies

At this time, the Japanese companies “Kawasaki”, “Nakajima” and “Mitsubishi” are developing a unique flying boat “Yokoso”. Since 1916, Japanese manufacturers have created the design of the best aircraft models in Germany, France and England. This state of affairs lasted fifteen years. Since 1930, companies began manufacturing aircraft for the Japanese Air Force. Today, this state is among the ten most powerful armies in the world.

Domestic developments

By 1936, the first manufacturing aircraft were designed by Japanese manufacturing companies Kawasaki, Nakajima and Mitsubishi. The Japanese Air Force already possessed twin-engine Russian-made G3M1 and Ki-21 bombers, Ki-15 reconnaissance aircraft and A5M1 fighters. In 1937, the conflict between Japan and China flared up again. This entailed the privatization of large industrial enterprises by Japan and the restoration of state control over them.

Japanese air force. Command Organization

The head of the Japanese Air Force is the General Staff. In his submission is the command:

combat support;
aviation
communication;
training;
security team;
test;
hospital;
japanese counterintelligence department.

The combat structure of the Air Force is represented by combat, training, transport and special aircraft and helicopters.

Japan Aviation in the Second World War. Part One: Aichi, Yokosuka, Kawasaki Firsov Andrey

Japanese Army Aviation

The first flight experience the Japanese army acquired back in 1877 with the use of balloons. Later, during the Russo-Japanese War near Port Arthur, two Japanese aerostats made 14 successful ascents for reconnaissance purposes. Attempts to create vehicles heavier than air were made by private individuals as far back as 1789 - mainly muscle cars, but they did not attract the attention of the military. Only the development of aviation in other countries in the early years of the 20th century attracted the attention of Japanese officials. On July 30, 1909, a military aeronautics research organization was established on the basis of the University of Tokyo and the personnel of the army and navy.

In 1910, the "society" sent Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa to France, and Captain Kumazo Hino to Germany, where they should have acquired and mastered control of the aircraft. The officers returned to Japan with a Farman biplane and a Grade monoplane, and on December 19, 1910, the first flight of the aircraft in Japan took place. During 1911, when several types of aircraft were already acquired by Japan, Captain Tokugawa designed an improved version of Farman's aircraft, which was built by the army aeronautical unit. After training several more pilots abroad, they began training in flights in Japan itself. Despite the training of a fairly large number of pilots and their training in the French Air Force in 1918, the Japanese army pilots did not participate in the battles of the First World War. However, during this period, Japanese aviation already acquired the appearance of a separate kind of troops - an air battalion was created as part of the army transport command. In April 1919, the unit had already become a division under the command of Major General Ikutaro Inouye.

As a result of a trip to France by Colonel Faure’s mission, which included 63 experienced pilots, several aircraft were acquired that gained fame during the First World War. So, SPAD S.13C-1 was adopted by the Japanese imperial army, "Newpor" -24С-1 was manufactured by Nakajima as a training fighter, and the reconnaissance "Salmson" 2A-2 was built on Kawasaki under the designation "type otsu 1". Several vehicles, including Pap and Avro-504K, were purchased in the UK.

By May 1, 1925, an army air corps was organized, which finally built aviation into the armed forces along with artillery, cavalry and infantry. At the head of the air headquarters of the corps ("Koku hombu"), Lieutenant General Kinichi Yasumitsu was appointed. By the time of the organization of the air corps, it included 3,700 officers and up to 500 aircraft. Almost immediately after this, the first Japanese-made aircraft began to arrive in the hull.

For the first decade of the existence of the air division, and then the corps, he took an insignificant part in the battles in the Vladivostok region in 1920 and in China in 1928 during the “Qingyang incident”. However, over the next decade, the Army Air Force has already played a significant role in the many conflicts unleashed by Japan. The first of these was the occupation of Manchuria in September 1931, and in January 1932 the “Shanghai incident”. By this time, the air forces of the army were already armed with several types of aircraft of Japanese design, including the Mitsubishi type 87 light bomber, the Kawasaki type 88 reconnaissance aircraft, and the Nakajima type 91 fighter. These aircraft allowed the Japanese to easily achieve superiority over the Chinese. As a result of these conflicts, the Japanese organized the puppet state of Manzhou-Guo. Since that time, the Japanese Army Aviation launched a broad program of modernization and expansion of its forces, which led to the development of many of the types of aircraft with which the Japanese entered the Second World War.

During the rearmament program, on July 7, 1937, fighting in China resumed, which turned into a full-scale war - the "second Sino-Japanese incident." In the initial period of the war, army aviation was forced to cede its leadership in conducting the main offensive operations of aviation to its eternal rival, the fleet, and was limited only to covering ground units in the Manchurian region, forming new units and subunits.

By this time, the main unit of army aviation was an air regiment - “hiko rentai”, consisting of fighter, bomber and reconnaissance (or transport) squadrons (“chutay”). The first experience of fighting in China required the reorganization of units, and a specialized, smaller part was created - a group ("sentai"), which became the basis of Japanese aviation during the war in the Pacific Ocean.

Sentai usually consisted of three chutai with 9-12 aircraft and a staff link - "sentai hombu." The group was led by a lieutenant commander. Sentai united in air divisions - “hikodan” under the command of a colonel or major general. Usually, a hikodan had three Sentai in its composition in various combinations of “Sentoka” (fighter), “Keybaku” (light-bomber) and “Yubaku” (heavy-bomber) units. Two or three hikodans made up "hikosidan" - the air army. Depending on the needs of the tactical situation, separate units of smaller composition were created than sentai - “dokuritsu give shizugo chutai” (separate squadron) or “dokuritsu hikotai” (separate air wings).

The high command of the army aviation was subordinated to the "daikhon" - the imperial supreme headquarters and directly "sanbo soho" - to the chief of staff of the army. The chief of staff was subordinate to the Koku Sokambu, the supreme aviation inspection (responsible for training the flight and technical personnel), and the Koku Hombu, the air headquarters, which, in addition to the combat control, were responsible for the development and production of aircraft and aircraft engines.

As new aircraft of Japanese development and production, as well as the training of flight personnel, became available, imperial army aircraft were increasingly used in battles in China. At the same time, Japanese army aviation twice participated in short-term conflicts with the Soviet Union at Hassan and at Khalkhin Gol. The clash with Soviet aviation had a serious impact on the views of the Japanese army. In the eyes of army headquarters, the Soviet Union became the main potential adversary. With this in mind, requirements for new aircraft and equipment were developed and military airfields were built along the border with Transbaikalia. Therefore, the air headquarters first of all demanded that the aircraft have a relatively short range and the ability to operate in severe frosts. As a result, army planes were completely unprepared for flying over the expanses of the Pacific Ocean.

When planning operations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, army aviation, due to its technical limitations, was primarily supposed to operate on the mainland and large islands - China, Malaya, Burma, the East Indies and the Philippines. By the beginning of the war, the army aviation out of 1,500 aircraft allocated 650 to the 3rd hikosidan for attacking Malaya and the 5th hikosidan operating against the Philippines.

3rd hikosidan included:

3rd hikodan

7th hikodan

10th hikodan

70th Chutai - 8 Ki-15;

12th hikodan

15th hikotai

50 Chutai - 5 Ki-15 and Ki-46;

51 Chutai - 6 Ki-15 and Ki-46;

83rd hikotai

71st chutai - 10 Ki-51;

73rd chutai - 9 Ki-51;

89th Chutai - 12 Ki-36;

12th Chutai - Ki-57

5th hikosidan included:

4th hikodan

10th hikotai

52nd chutai - 13 Ki-51;

74th chutai - 10 Ki-36;

76th chutai - 9 Ki-15 and 2 Ki-46;

11th chutai - Ki-57.

During the first nine months of the war, the Japanese army achieved impressive success. Only in Burma there was a fairly serious resistance from the British pilots and American volunteers. With the growth of Allied resistance on the borders of India, the Japanese offensive by July 1942 stalled. During the battles of this period, Japanese pilots performed well in battles with the “collection” of aircraft samples that the allies in the Far East had assembled.

From the fall of 1942 to October 1944, the Japanese army was drawn into a war of attrition, bearing increasing losses in the battles in New Guinea and in China. Despite the fact that the Allies gave priority to the war in Europe, during these two years they managed to achieve a numerical superiority of their aircraft in Asia. There they were confronted by all the same aircraft of the Japanese army, developed before the war and already rapidly aging. The Japanese did not have to expect the arrival of modern cars in a large number. This was especially true for bombers. Both Mitsubishi Ki-21 and Kawasaki Ki-48 had too little bomb load, weak weapons and the almost complete absence of crew armor and tank protection. The fighter units that received the Ki-61 Hien were somewhat in a better position, but the basis of the army’s fighter aircraft was still the poorly armed and low-speed Ki-43 Hayabusa. Only the Ki-46 scout answered its tasks.

By October 1944, when the war entered a new phase, and the Allies landed in the Philippines, the Japanese army began to receive modern bombers such as Mitsubishi Ki-67 and Nakajima Ki-84 fighters. The new machines could no longer help the Japanese in the conditions of the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Allied aviation, the defeats followed one after another. In the end, the war came to the threshold of Japan itself.

Air raids on the Japanese islands began on June 15, 1944, first from bases in China, then from the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese army was forced to pull off numerous fighter units to defend the metropolis, but all the available Ki-43, Ki-44, Ki-84, Ki-61 and Ki-100 fighters did not have the necessary flight performance to effectively counter raids " Super Fortresses. " In addition, Japanese aviation was completely unprepared to repel night raids. The only acceptable night fighter was the twin-engine Kawasaki Ki-45, but the lack of a locator and low speed made it ineffective. All this was superimposed by a constant lack of fuel and spare parts. The Japanese command saw the way out in the use of a rather large mass of obsolete aircraft in suicidal (tayatari) kamikaze missions, which were first used in the defense of the Philippines. The end to all of this was the surrender of Japan.

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Tactical F-15J fighter (160 pcs.) A single all-weather version of the F-15 fighter for the Japanese Air Force, issued since 1982 by Mitsubishi under license.

Structurally similar to the F-15 fighter, but has simplified electronic warfare equipment. F-15DJ (42) - further development of the F-15J

F-2A / B (39 / 32pcs.) - A multi-role fighter developed by Mitsubishi and Lockheed Martin for the Japanese Self-Defense Air Force.

Fighter F-2A, picture taken in December 2012 from the board of the Russian reconnaissance Tu-214R

F-2 was intended primarily to replace the third-generation fighter-bomber Mitsubishi F-1 - according to experts, unsuccessful, with insufficient radius of action and low combat load variations on the theme SEPECAT "Jaguar". The appearance of the F-2 aircraft was significantly influenced by the American project General Dynamics “Agile Falcon” - a slightly larger and more maneuverable version of the F-16 “fighting Falcon” airplane. Although outwardly the Japanese airplane is very similar to the American counterpart, it should still be considered a new airplane, different from prototype not only differences in the design of the airframe, but also applied structural materials, airborne systems, electronics and weapons. Compared to the American aircraft, the construction of the Japanese fighter is much more widely used promising composite materials, which ensured a decrease in the relative mass of the airframe. In general, the design of the Japanese aircraft is simpler, easier and more technologically advanced than that of the F-16.

F-4EJ Kai (60 pcs.) - Multipurpose fighter.

Japanese version of the McDonnell-Douglas F-4E. Phantom II

Google Earth satellite imagery: airplanes and Miho F-4J airbase

T-4 (200pcs.) - Light attack / training aircraft developed by Kawasaki for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

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Grumman E-2CHawkeye (13 pcs.) - Aircraft AWACS and control.

Boeing E-767 AWACS (4pcs.)

Aircraft AWACS built for Japan, based on the passenger Boeing-767

C-1A (25pcs.) A medium-range military transport aircraft developed by Kawasaki for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

C-1s form the backbone of the Japanese Military Self-Defense Forces fleet.
The aircraft is intended for air transportation of troops, military equipment and cargo, landing of personnel and equipment by landing and parachute methods, evacuation of the wounded. The S-1 aircraft has a highly located swept wing, a fuselage of circular cross section, a T-shaped tail unit and a three-post landing gear retractable in flight. In front of the fuselage is the cockpit of a crew of 5 people, behind it is a cargo compartment 10.8 m long, 3.6 m wide and 2.25 m high.
Both the crew cabin and the cargo compartment are sealed and connected to the air conditioning system. The cargo compartment can carry 60 soldiers with weapons or 45 paratroopers. In case of transportation of the wounded, 36 stretcher wounded and accompanying personnel can be placed here. Through the cargo hatch located in the rear of the aircraft, the following can be loaded into the cockpit: 105-mm howitzer or 2.5-ton truck, or three cars
like a jeep. The landing of equipment and cargo is carried out through this hatch, and paratroopers can also drop through the side doors at the rear of the fuselage.

Google Earth satellite image: T-4 and S-1A aircraft at Tsuiki

EC-1 (1 pc.) - Aircraft of electronic intelligence based on the transport S-1.
YS-11 (7 pcs.) - EW aircraft based on medium-haul passenger aircraft.
C-130H (16pcs.) - Multipurpose military transport aircraft.
Boeing KC-767J (4 pcs.) - A strategic refueling aircraft based on the Boeing 767.
UH-60J Black Hawk (39 pcs.) - Multipurpose helicopter.
CH-47JChinook (16pcs.) - Multipurpose military transport helicopter.

Air Defense: 120 launchers SAM Patriot and Advanced Hawk.

Google Earth satellite image: Japan Patriot air defense missile defense system in Tokyo

Google Earth satellite image: Advanced Hawk air defense system of Japan's air defense, a suburb of Tokyo

The formation of the current Japanese Air Force began with the adoption on July 1, 1954 of the law on the establishment of the Office of National Defense, as well as the land, naval and air forces. The problem of aircraft and personnel was solved with American help. In April 1956, an agreement was signed on the supply of Japan jet aircraft F-104 Starfighter.

At that time, this multi-purpose fighter passed flight tests, showed high capabilities as an air defense fighter, which corresponded to the views of the country's leadership on the use of armed forces “only in the interests of defense”.
Subsequently, when creating and developing the armed forces, the Japanese leadership proceeded from the need to ensure "the country's initial defense against aggression." The subsequent response to the possible aggressor under the security treaty should have been given by the US armed forces. The guarantor of such an answer, Tokyo considered the deployment of US military bases on the Japanese islands, while Japan took on many of the costs of ensuring the vital functions of the Pentagon.
Based on the foregoing, and began equipping the Japanese Air Force.
“Starfighter” in the late 1950s, despite the high accident rate, became one of the main fighters of the air forces of many countries, was produced in various versions, including in Japan. It was an all-weather interceptor F-104J. Since 1961, the Air Force of the Land of the Rising Sun received 210 Starfighter aircraft, 178 of which were produced by the famous Japanese concern Mitsubishi under license.
I must say that the construction of jet fighters in Japan was established back in 1957, when the production of American F-86F Saber aircraft (also licensed) began.

Japan F-86F Saber Self Defense Forces

But by the mid-1960s, the F-104J began to be regarded as an obsolete machine. Therefore, in January 1969, the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan decided to equip the country's air force with new interceptor fighters. As a prototype, the third-generation American F-4E Phantom multi-role fighter was chosen. But the Japanese, ordering the F-4EJ variant, stipulated that it be an interceptor. The Americans did not mind, and with the F-4EJ all the equipment for working on ground targets was removed, but air-to-air weapons were strengthened. All in accordance with the Japanese concept of "only in the interests of defense." The leadership of Japan demonstrated, at least in conceptual documents, the desire to ensure that the country's armed forces remain the national armed forces, ensure the security of their territory.

The "softening" of Tokyo's approaches to offensive weapons, including in the Air Force, began to be observed in the second half of the 1970s under pressure from Washington, especially after the adoption of the so-called "Guidelines for Japanese-American Defense Cooperation" in 1978. Prior to this, no joint actions, even exercises, self-defense forces and American units in Japan were conducted. Since then, much has changed, including in the performance characteristics of aviation equipment, in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, counting on joint actions. F-4EJ, for example, is still being installed, for example, with equipment for refueling in the air. The last "Phantom" for the Japanese Air Force arrived in 1981. But already in 1984 a program was adopted to extend their service life. At the same time, the Phantoms began to be equipped with bombing facilities. These aircraft were called Kai.
But this does not mean that the main task of the Japanese Air Force has been changed. It remained the same - ensuring the country's air defense. That's why since 1982 the F-15J all-weather fighter-interceptors produced under license began to arrive in the Japanese Air Force. It was a modification of the fourth-generation American all-weather tactical fighter F-15 "Eagle", designed "to gain superiority in the air." And to this day, the F-15J is the main air defense fighter of the Japanese Air Force (in all, 223 of these aircraft were delivered).
As you can see, almost always the emphasis in the choice of aircraft was made on fighters aimed at air defense tasks, to gain superiority in the air. This applies to the F-104J, and F-4EJ, and F-15J.
Only in the second half of the 1980s did Washington and Tokyo agree to jointly develop a direct support fighter.
The validity of these allegations is so far confirmed in the course of conflicts in connection with the need to re-equip the fleet of fighters of the country's military aviation. The main task of the Japanese Air Force remains to ensure the country's air defense. Although the task of providing air support to the ground forces and the Navy was added. This is evident from the organizational structure of the Air Force. In its structure there are three aviation directions - North, Central and West. Each of them has two fighter aircraft wings, including two squadrons. At the same time, out of 12 squadrons, nine are air defense and three tactical fighter. In addition, there is a Southwest mixed aviation wing, which includes another fighter air defense squadron. The air defense squadrons are armed with F-15J, F-4EJ Kai aircraft.
As you can see, the core of the "basic forces" of the Japanese Air Force are fighter-interceptors. There are only three direct support squadrons and they are armed with F-2 fighters of joint Japanese-American development.
The current program of the Japanese government to re-equip the country's air force fleet is generally aimed at replacing the obsolete Phantoms. Two options were considered. According to the first version of the tender for the new F-X fighter, it was planned to purchase from 20 to 60 fifth-generation air defense fighter aircraft similar to the American F-22 Reptor fighter (“Predator”, manufactured by Lockheed Martin / Boeing). It was adopted by the U.S. Air Force in December 2005.
According to the estimates of Japanese experts, the F-22 is most consistent with the defense concepts of Japan. The American F-35 fighter was also considered as a backup option, but, as it is believed, this type of aircraft will require more. In addition, it is a multi-purpose aircraft and its main purpose is to strike at targets on the ground, which does not correspond to the concept “only in the interests of defense”. However, the US Congress in 1998 banned the export of "the latest fighter, which uses all the best achievements" of the United States aviation industry. Given this, most other countries that buy American fighter jets are satisfied with the earlier F-15 and F-16 models or are expecting the start of sales of the F-35, which uses the same technologies as the F-22, but is cheaper, more diverse it was intended for export from the very beginning of development.
Of the American aviation corporations, Boeing had the closest ties with the Japanese Air Force for many years. In March, he proposed a new significantly modernized model of the F-15FX. Two other fighter aircraft produced by Boeing are also offered, but they have no chance of success, since much of these aircraft is outdated. The Boeing application for the Japanese is attractive that the corporation officially guarantees assistance in the deployment of licensed production, and also promises to provide Japanese companies with the technologies used in the manufacture of aircraft.
But most likely, according to Japanese experts, the winner in the tender will be the F-35. It has almost the same high performance characteristics as the F-22, belongs to fifth-generation fighters and has some capabilities that the Predator does not have. True, the F-35 is still under development. According to various estimates, his entry into the Japanese Air Force may begin in 2015–2016. Until then, all F-4s will last their life. The delay in choosing a new main fighter for the country's air force is of concern to Japanese business circles, since in 2011, after the release of the last of the ordered F-2s, for the first time in post-war Japan, it was necessary, even temporarily, to curtail its own construction of fighters.
Now in Japan, there are about 1,200 companies associated with the production of fighter jets. They have special equipment and trained staff. The management of the Mitsubishi Dziukogio Corporation, which has the largest portfolio of orders from the Ministry of Defense, believes that "production technologies of the defense sector, if they are not supported, are lost and never reborn."

In general, the Japanese Air Force are well-equipped, with fairly modern military equipment, which are in high combat readiness, are quite capable of solving the assigned tasks.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces (Navy) of Japan are armed with 116 aircraft and 107 helicopters.
Armed with patrol air squadrons are the base patrol aircraft R-ZS "Orion".

Anti-submarine helicopter squadrons are equipped with SH-60J and SH-60K helicopters.

Japan Anti-Submarine SH-60J Navy

Search and rescue squadrons include three search and rescue squads (three UH-60J helicopters each). There is a squadron of rescue seaplanes (US-1A, US-2)

Seaplane US-1A Japanese Navy

And two electronic warfare squadrons equipped with airborne warfare aircraft ER-3, UP-3D and U-36A, as well as reconnaissance OR-ZS.
Separate aviation squadrons, according to their purpose, solve the tasks of conducting flight tests of naval equipment, participate in operations of mine-sweeping forces, as well as in airborne transport of personnel and cargo.

On the Japanese islands, under the bilateral Japanese-American treaty, the 5th - US Air Force Army (headquarters at Yokota Air Base), which includes 3 aircraft wings equipped with the most modern combat aircraft, including 5-generation ones, is permanently deployed. F-22 "Reptor".

Google Earth satellite imagery: US Air Force F-22 aircraft at Caden airbase

In addition, the 7th operational fleet of the US Navy is constantly operating in the Western Pacific. The headquarters of the commander of the 7th Fleet is located in the PVMB Yokosuka (Japan). The fleet’s formations and ships are based on the Yokosuka and Sasebo naval warplanes, aviation - at the Atsugi, Misawa airbases, and marines - at Camp Butler (Okinawa) on long-term lease of these bases from Japan. Fleet forces regularly participate in operations to ensure security on the theater of operations, in joint exercises with the Japanese Navy.

Satellite image Google Earth: aircraft carrier J. Washington in the Navy Yokosuka

The U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group, which includes at least one aircraft carrier, is almost constantly located in the region.

A very powerful aviation group is concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Japanese islands, several times superior to our forces in this region.
For comparison, the military aviation of our country in the Far East as part of the Air Force and Air Defense Command, the former 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army is the operational association of the air forces of the Russian Federation, with headquarters in Khabarovsk. It counts no more than 350 combat aircraft, a significant part of which are not combat-ready.
In terms of numbers, the naval aviation of the Pacific Fleet is inferior to the aviation of the Japanese Navy by about three times.

According to the materials:
http://war1960.narod.ru/vs/vvs_japan.html
http://nvo.ng.ru/armament/2009-09-18/6_japan.html
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/sea/us1kai.html
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/fsx.html
Reference K.V. Chuprin “ARMED FORCES OF THE CIS AND BALTIC COUNTRIES”

Since the end of World War II, the Japanese military-industrial complex did not shine with the “pearls” of its military industry, and it completely and completely became dependent on the imposed products of the American defense industry, the powerful lobby of which was carried out by the Japanese authorities because of the direct dependence of capital and pro-American sentiments on the mentality of the upper echelons of society .

A striking example of this is the modern composition of the Air Force (or Self-Defense Air Force): these are 153 units of the F-15J (full copy of the F-15C), 45 units of the F-15DJ (copy of the double F-15D). At the moment, it is these aircraft, built under an American license, that form the quantitative backbone of aviation to achieve superiority in the air, as well as suppress air defense, on airplanes the use of AGM-88 "HARM" RLR is provided.

The rest of the fighter reconnaissance aircraft, copied from the United States, is represented by F-4EJ, RF-4EJ, EF-4EJ aircraft, which are about 80 in the country's air force, and are now being phased out. There is also a contract for the purchase of 42 GDP fighter F-35A, which is an improved copy of the Yak-141. RTR aviation, like the leaders in Europe, is represented by E-2C and E-767 aircraft.

December 18, 2012. Japanese F-2A accompanies the latest Russian naval reconnaissance Tu-214R

But in 1995, the Japanese military pilot E. Watanabe took to the air a completely new combat vehicle, which can now be safely attributed to the 4 ++ generation. It was the first prototype of the XF-2A multi-role fighter F-2A, and the subsequent two-seater F-2B. Despite the strong similarities between the F-2A and the American F-16C Block 40, and it was he who was taken by the Japanese engineers as the reference model, the F-2A was a relatively new technical unit.

Most affected the airframe and avionics. The nose of the fuselage is a purely Japanese development using a new geometric idea that is different from the Falcon.

It boasts an F-2A and a completely new wing with a lower sweep, but at 1.25 a large aerodynamic lifting coefficient (bearing property): the wing area of \u200b\u200bthe Falcon is 27.87 m 2, the F-2 has 34.84 m 2 . Due to the increased wing area, the Japanese embodied in their fighter the ability to "energetically" maneuver in the BVB in the steady-state turn mode at a speed of about 22.5 deg / s, as well as reduce fuel consumption during high-altitude combat duty in a complex island grid of Japan. It also became possible thanks to the use of advanced composite materials in the glider elements of the new aircraft.

A large area of \u200b\u200belevators also influenced the increase in maneuverability.

The nacelle remained the standard Falcon, because it was decided to use the General Electric F110-GE-129 two-circuit afterburner engine with a maximum thrust of 13.2 tons. Note that the capacity of the internal fuel tanks is 4675 liters, and 5678 - when hanging another 3 PTB. The latest American F-16C Block 60 has 3080 liters in its internal tanks. The Japanese made a very wise move: referring to their defensive nature of the aircraft, in cases of conflict, only within Japan, they made it possible for the F-2A to have more fuel on board, and to maintain maneuverability at a high level, without using massive PTBs. Due to this, a higher combat radius of action, amounting to about 830 km versus 580 at the Falcon.

The fighter has a practical ceiling of more than 10 km, flight speed at high altitude is about 2120 km / h. When installing 4xUR AIM-9M (4x75kg) and 2xUR AIM-120C (2x150kg) and 80% refueling internal fuel tanks (3040l), the thrust-weight ratio will be about 1.1, which even today is a strong indicator.

Avionics, at the time of receipt of the fighter in the Air Force, gave odds to the entire Chinese fleet. The aircraft is equipped with Mitsubishi Electric multi-channel interference-protected radar with an AF-J-APG-1 antenna, the antenna array of which is formed by 800 anti-radar antennas made of GaAs (gallium arsenide), which is the most important semiconductor compound used in modern radio engineering.

The radar station is capable of carrying out “ties” (SPS) of at least 10 target routes, and fire 4-6 of them. Considering that in the 90s the FAR industry was actively developing in the Russian Federation and other countries, we can judge the range of the radar for a “fighter” (3 m 2) target of no more than 120-150 km. However, at that time AFAR and PFAR stood only on the French Rafale, our MiG-31B and the American F-22A.

Airborne Radar J-APG-1

The F-2A is equipped with a Japanese-American digital autopilot, a Melko electronic warfare complex, and tactical environment communications and data transmission devices in the short and ultra-short wavelength ranges. The inertial navigation system is built around five gyroscopes (the main one is laser, and four standby mechanical types). The cockpit is equipped with a high-quality holographic indicator on the windshield, large MFI tactical information, and two monochrome MFI - CRT.

The armament is almost identical to the American F-16C, and is represented by the AIM-7M, AIM-120C, AIM-9L, M, X; It is worth noting the prospect of the Japanese AAM-4 air-to-air missile system, which will have a range of about 120 km and a flight speed of 4700-5250 km / h. It will be able to use a fighter and guided bombs with PALGSN, ASM-2 ASM and other promising weapons.

Currently, there are 61 F-2A and 14 F-2B fighters in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, which, along with AWACS and 198 F-15C fighters, provide good air defense for the country.

In the 5th generation of fighter aircraft, Japan is "walking" on its own, proof of this is the Mitsubishi ATD-X "Shinshin" project ("Sinshin" means "soul").

Japan, like every technological superpower, by definition must have its own subtle fighter to gain air supremacy; the start of work on the magnificent descendant of the legendary A6M Zero aircraft started back in 2004. It can be said that the employees of the Technical Design Institute of the Ministry of Defense approached the stages of creating the nodes of a new machine in a “different plane”.

Since the Sinsin project received its first prototype much later than the F-22A, and it undoubtedly took into account and eliminated all the shortcomings and errors that the Russians, Americans and Chinese studied on, and also incorporated all the best aerodynamic ideas for the implementation of ideal LTH, the latest developments in the avionics database, where Japan has already succeeded.

The first flight of the prototype ATD-X is scheduled for the winter of 2014-2015. In 2009 alone, allocations in the amount of $ 400 million were allocated for the development of the program and the construction of the experimental vehicle. Most likely, the "Sinsin" will be called F-3, will enter the army no earlier than 2025.

The Shinshin is the fifth generation's smallest fighter, yet the expected range is about 1800 km

What do we know about Sinxing today? Japan is a small power, and does not plan to independently participate in major regional wars by the Air Self-Defense Forces, sending its military aircraft thousands of kilometers deep into enemy territories, hence the name of the Self-Defense Forces. Therefore, the dimensions of the new "invisibility" are small: length - 14.2 m, wingspan - 9.1 m, height on the rear stabilizers - 4.5 m. A space is provided for one crew member.

Based on the small size of the airframe and the widespread use of composite materials, which is more than 30% plastic with reinforcing carbon fiber, 2 lightweight turbofan engines XF5-1 with a thrust of about 5500 kg / s each, the mass of an empty fighter will be in the range of 6.5-7 tons, t .e. weight and overall dimensions will be very close to the French fighter Mirage-2000-5.

Due to the miniature midsection and the maximum deviation of the air intakes to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft (better than y), as well as the minimum number of right angles in the design of the refined glider, the Sinshina ESR should meet the expectations of the Japanese military flight personnel and should not exceed 0.03 m 2 ( F-22A has about 0.1 m 2, T-50 has about 0.25 m 2). Although, according to the developers, the equivalent of "small bird" sounded, and this is 0.007 m 2.

Sinsin’s engines are equipped with an all-round OBT system consisting of three controllable aerodynamic petals that look very “oak” like for a 5+ generation fighter, but apparently the Japanese engineers saw in this design some guarantees of greater reliability than our “all-perspective” on product 117C. But in any case, this nozzle is better than the American one installed on, there the vector is controlled only by pitch.

It is planned to build the avionics architecture around the powerful on-board J-APG-2 radar with AFAR; the target detection range of the F-16C type will be about 180 km, close to the Zhuk-A and AN / APG-80 radars and a multi-channel data bus based fiber-optic conductors controlled by the most powerful computer. With the progress of Japanese electronics, this is visible firsthand.

The armament will be very diverse, with deployment in the internal compartments of the fighter. With ATS, the aircraft partially implements super-maneuverable qualities, but due to the smaller ratio of the wing span to the fuselage length than other aircraft (Sinsin 0.62, PAK-FA 0.75), an airframe with an aerodynamically supporting structure, as well as developed frontal influxes at the wing roots, the absence of a statically unstable scheme in the glider, there is no possibility of an emergency transition to a high-speed unsteady flight. In BVB, this aircraft is more inherent in medium-speed "energy" maneuvering using OBE.

"Three-petal" OVT on each turbofan engine

Earlier, the Land of the Rising Sun wanted to conclude a contract with the United States for the purchase of several dozen Raptor, but the American military leadership, with its unequivocal position of complete non-proliferation in the field of "accurate" defense, refused to provide the Japanese side with even a "lean version" of the F-22A.

Then, when Japan began to test the first ATD-X prototype, and asked for a special wide-range electromagnetic range such as StingRay for an all-angle scanning of the EPR index, they again “wiped their feet” about their Pacific partner. The French side agreed to highlight the installation, and the matter went further ... Well, let's see what the sixth fifth-generation fighter will surprise us with at the end of the year.

/Evgeny Damantsev/