Ashiya Air Field

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Ashiya Air Field
芦屋飛行場
Ashiya Hikōjō
Ashiya Air Field Aerial Photograph.jpg
Aerial Photograph of Ashiya Air Field
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Location Ashiya, Japan
Elevation  AMSL 98 ft / 30 m
Coordinates 33°52′53″N130°39′06″E / 33.88139°N 130.65167°E / 33.88139; 130.65167 Coordinates: 33°52′53″N130°39′06″E / 33.88139°N 130.65167°E / 33.88139; 130.65167
Map
Japan location map with side map of the Ryukyu Islands.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
RJFA
Location in Japan
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
12/301,6405,381 Concrete
Source: Japanese AIP at AIS Japan [1]

Ashiya Air Field(芦屋飛行場,Ashiya Hikōjō)( ICAO : RJFA) is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Ashiya Airbase(芦屋基地,Ashiya Kitchi). It is located 0.5  NM (0.93 km; 0.58 mi) north [1] of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

ICAO airport code four-letter code designating many airports around the world

The ICAOairport code or location indicator is a four-letter code designating aerodromes around the world. These codes, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators, are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight planning.

Japan Air Self-Defense Force Air warfare branch of Japans armed forces

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force, JASDF, also referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and for other aerospace operations. It is the de facto air force of Japan. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining a network of ground and air early-warning radar systems. The branch also has an aerobatic team known as Blue Impulse and has provided air transport in UN peacekeeping missions.

Nautical mile unit of distance (1852 m)

A nautical mile is a unit of measurement used in both air and marine navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as one minute of a degree of latitude. Today it is defined as exactly 1852 metres. The derived unit of speed is the knot, one nautical mile per hour.

Contents

History

Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944, and was used primarily as a defensive airfield, launching (Nakajima Ki-84) fighter interceptors against attacking USAAF B-29 Superfortress bombers.[ citation needed ]

Nakajima Ki-84

The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate is a single-seat fighter flown by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in the last two years of World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Frank"; the Japanese Army designation was Army Type 4 Fighter. The Ki-84 is generally considered the best Japanese fighter to operate in large numbers during the conflict. The aircraft boasted high speeds and excellent maneuverability with an armament that gave it formidable firepower. The Ki-84's performance matched that of any single-engine Allied fighter it faced, and its operational ceiling enabled it to intercept high-flying B-29 Superfortress bombers. Pilots and crews in the field learned to take care with the plane's high-maintenance Nakajima Homare engine and a landing gear prone to buckling. The difficulties of Japan's situation late in the war took a toll on the aircraft's field performance as manufacturing defects multiplied, quality fuel proved difficult to procure and experienced pilots grew scarce. Nevertheless, a well-maintained Ki-84 was Japan's fastest fighter. A total of 3,514 aircraft were built.

Taken over in October 1945 by the occupying American forces, it was turned into a salvage/scrapping facility by the USAAF 92d Air Service Squadron to destroy former Japanese military aircraft and other equipment. Attacked on several occasions during the war, it was repaired for Fifth Air Force use as an occupation facility. The 85th Airdrome Squadron assumed control of the station on 3 April 1946; with Headquarters, 315th Bombardment Wing moving into the facility on 20 May.

Fifth Air Force Numbered air force of the United States Air Force responsible for the Japanese region

The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organization has provided 70 years of continuous air power to the Pacific since its establishment in September 1941.

On 20 May 1946, the airfield was reactivated for operational use by the then-U.S. Army Air Forces, with the 8th Fighter Group moving to Ashiya from Fukuoka Airfield, operating P-51D Mustangs. During the postwar Occupation Era, a series of U.S. Army Air Forces and later U.S. Air Force units were assigned:

With the eruption of the Korean War in June 1950, combat missions over South Korea were flown from Ashiya by the USAF's 35th and 18th Fighter Groups, with first-generation F-80 Shooting Star jet fighters. The 35th moved to Pohang Airfield (K-3), South Korea in July, being replaced by the 18th. When Pusan East (K-9) Air Base was ready in September, the group also moved to the forward base.

Korean War 1950–1953 war between North Korea and South Korea

The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border.

Pusan East (K-9) Air Base

Pusan East (K-9) Air Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force (USAF) and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) air base adjacent to the Suyeong River in Haeundae District, Busan, South Korea. It was redeveloped in the 1990s as Centum City, a commercial and residential area.

The comparatively short runway at the airfield was not well-suited for jet fighter operations, as well as the distance from the combat areas which stretched the endurance of the early tactical jets. When the 18th Fighter Group moved out in September 1950, Ashiya became a transport base, with C-54 Skymaster and C-119 Flying Boxcars being operated from the airfield. Both during the Korean War and in its aftermath, a series of Far East Air Force troop carrier groups were assigned:

From 1952 to 1957, the 3d Air Rescue Group's 39th Air Rescue Squadron also operated USAF Air Rescue Service SC-47 Skytrain land-based aircraft, SA-16 Albatross amphibious aircraft, and SH-19 Chickasaw helicopters from Ashiya AB in a search and rescue role. This was chronicled in the 1959 fiction novel by Elliott Arnold entitled Flight from Ashiya and the 1964 film of the same name.

In 1960, with the need for additional USAF forces in Europe and budget restrictions, Ashiya Air Base was closed by the United States and returned to the Japanese government.

Organization

Ashiya Air Field provides pilot flight training for the Japan Air Self Defense Force. It reports to JASDF Air Training Command, headquartered at Hamamatsu Air Base.

See also

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References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

  1. 1 2 AIS Japan
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