ASDF holds PAC-3 missile defense drill in Tokyo after spate of North Korean launches
The Air Self-Defense Force carried out a quick deployment drill for its Patriot Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, missile interceptors in Tokyo on Wednesday, in order to maintain readiness for missile defense operations. The drill, held at the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, followed a series ...
Japan eyes new defense unit to monitor space from ASDF base in west Tokyo
The Defense Ministry has decided to make a budget request for a new space monitoring unit to be set up in fiscal 2020 within its air forces, government sources said Wednesday. The unit, which is aimed at tracking space debris that poses a threat to ...
Air Self-Defense Force concludes F-35A crash off northern Japan caused by human error
The Air Self-Defense Force concluded Friday that the April crash of an F-35A stealth fighter in the Pacific Ocean was caused by "spatial disorientation" on the part of the pilot and not by any mechanical problem. The conclusion is in line with an interim investigative ...
ASDF to resume F-35A flights four months after fatal crash off northern Japan
The Defense Ministry resumed flights of Air Self-Defense Force F-35A stealth fighter jets Thursday afternoon, having suspended them since a fatal crash in April, the first ever reported for the aircraft. In June, the ministry concluded that the crash of an F-35A into the Pacific ...
Remains of Japan ASDF pilot found, two months after F-35A fighter crash off Aomori
Remains of the pilot of an Air Self-Defense Force F-35A stealth jet fighter that went missing off Aomori Prefecture on April 9 have been retrieved from the ocean, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Friday. The remains were found Wednesday and identified as those of Maj. ...
F-35 stealth fighter that crashed off Japan didn't send distress signal before Pacific plunge
The single-seat jet had a system that would have emitted distress signals if the pilot ejected from the cockpit with a parachute, the ASDF said.
F-35A fighter jet crashed, Japan's defense ministry says, as hunt for missing pilot continues
According to Air Self-Defense Force, the incident in waters off Aomori Prefecture is the first crash involving an F-35A fighter anywhere in the world.
Japan transport ministry to ease huge costs for retired SDF pilots hoping to move into airline jobs
The transport ministry said Tuesday it will revise a system that currently costs retired Self-Defense Force pilots millions of yen to secure their commercial pilot's instrument rating certification, amid predictions there will be a shortage of airline pilots by around 2030. The current system requires ...
ASDF fighter jet makes emergency landing at U.S. base in Okinawa
An Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet made an emergency landing at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture on Monday morning after a hydraulic system failure was detected, defense officials said. The pilot was not injured in the incident, which the ...
1st Lt. Misa Matsushima, 26, has become Japan's first woman to qualify as a fighter jet pilot in the nation's Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF). "My longtime dream has come true. I want to become a fully-fledged pilot, no different from men, as soon as possible," ...
Door falls off Japan Air Self-Defense Force helicopter flying over Kagoshima island
A door weighing over 30 kilograms fell from an Air Self-Defense Force helicopter Tuesday during a flight over Okinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, the Defense Ministry said.
Japan to deploy its first F-35A stealth fighter Friday at Misawa base
The first F-35A stealth fighter jet for the Air Self-Defense Force is set to be deployed to the Misawa base in Aomori Prefecture on Friday, Defense Ministry officials said Monday. The ASDF will procure a total of 42 F-35A aircraft, its next-generation mainstay fighter. It ...
