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Scramble 469
LH962178 79th Xinjiang Brigade may18
LH962180 79th Xinjiang Brigade may18
Z19
LH961501 78th Brigade may18
LH961561 78th Brigade may18
LH982536 121st Brigade may18
People’s Liberation Army Navy (NY)
13 May presented another highlight to the navy as for the
first time the second home-grown aircraft carrier left the
shipyard at Dalian for the first time for its first sea trials. It
is believed the ship will be put into service by 2020. Basically
the ship is a copy of the first carrier Liaoyang. Ground tests
a year ago at the carrier test site however revealed that the
third carrier will feature a catapult that will enable AWACS
aircraft operating form the carrier and also long range J15
operations with full weapon load.
H6DU
81313 6th Div/17th Reg may18
JL10H
88003/03 Naval Aviation University may18
Y8Q (GX6)
82011 1st Div/2nd Reg may18
Z9D
373 Carrier air Wing may18
Manufacturers (NY)
KJ500
In another major force multiplier move SAC (Shaanxi) has
started flight testing the KJ500 with air-to-air refueling
probe. With the inflight refueling the flight time around the
islands of Taiwan and near Japan and South Korea is extended
considerably.
India
Bharatiya Vayu Sena (AF)
SA316B (HAL)
ZA441 ex Z441 AH066 mar18
Bharatiya Nau Sena (NY)
Do228-201
IN221/PBD INAS310 ex INAS310/DAB 4035 jan18
IN230/COC INAS550 ex o/h HAL Kanpur 4058 apr18
Japan
By the time you read this, all five F-35As now based at Luke
AFB (AZ) will have been flown to Misawa to join Rinji F-35A
Hikotai and according to Japanese sources, this unit will have
ten F-35As before the end of the year.
Miho no longer houses operational C-1s, it is not clear if the
unit which operates the C-2 (Team 403 Hikotai) is now offi-
cially renamed 403 Hikotai.
It is still undecided how many Kawasaki P-1s will be procured
to replace the JMSDF fleet of Orions but as (according to the
P-1 program manager) the P-1 outperforms the Orion in all
areas, one can expect a fleet considerably smaller than the
number of Orions the JMSDF once possessed, totalling 110
aircraft. The JMSDF now operates fourteen P-1s and one
UP-1 and although some sources say officially Kawasaki has
no further contracts, it expects further orders as two more
are already flying from Gifu.
The JMSDF is reducing its own UH-60J fleet (in the future it
will totally rely on SAR operations from the JASDF and JCG)
and therefore is also reorganizing some SAR units. Sub-unit
72 Hikotai (Omura) was disbanded and reformed as sub-unit
224 Hikotai under 22 Kokutai, sub-unit 73 Hikotai (Tateyama)
was disbanded and reformed as sub-unit 213 Hikotai under 21
Kokutai and Ominato Koku Bunkentai (under 73 Kokutai) was
disbanded. Both Kanoya and Iwoto Koku Bunkentais are (for
the moment) still active. It is not known if 72 and 73 Kokutai
still exist and act as the parent-unit for the two remaining
Koku Bunkentais.
Again the LDP party of Japanese prime minister Abe is trying
to find a way around Japanese law concerning possession
of (for some) offensive weaponry. It is formulating plans to
procure the F-35B and to soften up opposition also to procure
a new build aircraft carrier for these aircraft, which can be
used as a hospital-ship during disaster-aid. It looks like the
study awarded to a shipyard to see if the Izumo class heli-
copter-carriers can be retrofitted for F-35B operations also
has a favourable outcome. So spoilt for choice but where is
the money?
RJCJ = Chitose RJFN = Nyutabaru
RJOE = Akeno RJNA = Nagoya/Komaki
RJNG = Gifu RJTU = Utsunomiya
ROAH = Naha
ADC = Shireibu Hikotai ADTW = Hiko Kaihatsu Jik.
AGG = Hiko Kyodogun ARS = Kyunantai
ARW = Koku Kyunandan ATS = Kyoiku Kokutai
FTS = Kyoiku Hikotai FTW = Hiko Kyoikudan
HAS = Herikoputa Kuyutai TS = Jyutsuka Gakko
nmks = no tail unit-number tdb = toned down badgeNihon Koku-Jieitai (AF)
C-1
38-1003 Miho preserved, ex 403 Hik. 8003 may18
58-1011 ?? ex 403 Hikotai 8011 dec17
78-1024 402 Hikotai ex 403 Hikotai 8024 may18
78-1026 o/h RJNG nb, ex 403Hik 8026 may18Japanese spotters report all (operational) 403 Hikotai C-1s
left this Miho based unit.
C-2
88-1208 Kawasaki HI f/n, test at Gifu 8 may18
C-130H
85-1079 o/h RJNG nb, camo c/s 382-5136 may18Another Hercules re-painted in the camo pattern, this leaves
only two aircraft in the light blue colours, 078 and 080, of
which the first one is probably also at Gifu for overhaul and
re-paint.
F-2A
13-8510 1 TS ex 6 Hikotai 1010 apr18
13-8511 8 Hikotai ex 3 Hik? ex IRAN 1011 may18
13-8562 3 Hikotai ex IRAN 1062 may18Japanese sources reported F-2A 511 was delivered to 3 Hikotai
after overhaul in December 2017, however we do not have
photographic confirmation.
F-2B
23-8115 6 Hikotai ex ADTW 3015 apr18
33-8117 21 Hikotai ex IRAN 3017 mar18
33-8123 21 Hikotai nb, ex IRAN 3023 mar18
F-4EJ Kai
47-8333 ex 302 Hikotai wfu, final flight 11apr18 M033 apr18
57-8355 o/h RJNA nb, test, ex 301 Hik. M055 may18
07-8431 ADTW ex IRAN M131 apr18
07-8436 302 Hikotai nb, ex IRAN M136 may18Another ‘older’ Phantom re-appeared at Nagoya, 57-8355
previous last note was November 2016. The crew for 436
was flown to Nagoya using two 302 Hikotai T-4s so it is fairly
certain it is now on strength of that unit.
F-15DJ
92-8070 AGG ex 306 Hikotai may18
32-8086 o/h RJNA nb, ex 23 Hikotai may18
52-8088 o/h RJNA nb, ex AGG may18
82-8091 204 Hikotai tdb, ex 306 Hikotai may18