#japan air self defense force

[stevethefishdotnet]

Dragon 1:72 YF-23 hypothetical JASDF plastic model build photoset July 29th, 2022

It’s a shame that the YF-23 lost out to the F-22 Raptor in the contest to become the next gen stealth fighter. With internal weapon stores and sleek rear ailerons, I think the YF-23 just looks cooler. I really fell in love with the YF-23 after playing Air Force Delta on the Sega Dreamcast.

Dragon’s old YF-23 model kit isn’t very accurate. The underneath especially is nearly devoid of panel lines. Dragon just did not have the data when they made this kit in the ‘90s. There are a few 1:144 kits of the YF-23, and then there is the 1:48 kit by Hobby Boss. That kit is too expensive, but when Dragon repopped this kit, It was for a very low price and I bought one.

For a while, Japan was contemplating having production plans for the YF-23 resurrected and manufactured for the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) to eventually replace the Mitsubishi F-2. I was excited about this, but unfortunately this proposal was turned down in favor of developing a completely made in Japan next gen stealth fighter. So, I had the idea of painting this kit as a hypothetical “what if” kit as my imagination of what perhaps it would look like if the YF-23 would have been manufactured to replace the F-2s. I’ve seen JASDF F-2s and F-15s done in a digital camouflage scheme, so that’s what I wanted to do.

I used Mr. Color’s JASDF oceanic camouflage colors paint set, employing Hasegawa’s TF916 clear masking Application Sheet, which has 1mm black gridlines. I carefully cut out tiny blocks to create masks. It was meticulous work, but not tedious. I rather enjoyed it. I used decals from a Hasegawa F-15 model kit, and created my own samurai squadron logo because I wanted to use an accurate squadron that is currently flying the F-2s. As it is, I did not use the decals this model came with. This angry samurai is the emblem of the JASDF 3rd Squadron.

[redsamuraiii]

Jaw-dropping footage from inside Japan's F-15 

A must watch if you’re an aircraft enthusiast. She’ll show you what it’s really like to suit up wearing heavy equipments and the various pre-flight checks that needs to be done before the aircraft can actually take off.

[nocternalrandomness]

Mitsubishi F-15DJ of the JASDF's aggressor unit based at Nyuatubaru Airbase, Japan

[eyestothe-skies]

Mitsubishi F-2, JASDF

Source: Kevin Martin

[ghostwarriorrrr]

F-15E STRİKE EAGLE

[captain-price-unofficially]

The Japan Air Self Defense Force’s flight demonstration team, Blue Impulse, taxis their F-86 Sabre aircraft during the annual Japanese-American Friendship Festival in 1981.

[usafphantom2]

A Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-15J Eagle departs Andersen AFB as two JASDF F-2s prepare to depart on a sortie during Exercise Cope North 24, Guam. FEB24 (lewis)

@kadonkey via X

[chimneyhound]

Mi-17 4K-15214 of doomsday cult and terrorist organization Aum Shinrikyo.

In 1992, Aum Shinrikyo established a foothold in Russia with the assistance of Oleg Lobov, a politician in the newly formed Russian government who sought assistance from Aum's leader Shoko Asahara for the funding of a new Japanese school in Russia. Kiyohide Hayakawa, with the help of Lobov, was able to make connections within the Russian defense apparatus. He, along with a delegation of other Aum members, received training from Spetsnaz units, acquired a number of Soviet military manuals that had been translated into Japanese and managed to procure a brand new AK-74 assault rifle. The rifle was successfully smuggled back to Japan and was used as a model for Aum's own production of the AK-74 at a secret Aum weapons factory in Kanazawa.

Kiyohide's group also returned with 4K-15214, a 1992 manufacture Azerbaijani Mi-17 military transport helicopter painted in flash white. Kiyohide's group carefully documented their exploits in Russia, and a recording of their expedition eventually fell into the hands of Japanese police officials. It is viewable (in part) in this Japanese TV documentary: https://youtu.be/bFwpKPNdLCM

Originally manufactured for the Soviet armed forces under the registration number CCCP-152, the helicopter was transferred to Azerbaijan Air following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Re-registered as 4K-15214 in civilian service in Azerbaijan, Aum legally imported the helicopter to Japan in 1994.

4K-15214 was intended to be used as a delivery system for chemical weapons over Tokyo, presumably using modified crop dusting equipment. Aum also purchased two radio-controlled helicopters (apparently under the codename "Hercules") with the goal of using them to remotely spread Sarin or other chemical agents. After both of the Hercules helicopters crashed during testing, Aum appears to have given up on the aerial spraying of chemical weapons entirely, instead opting for less complex methods.

Early attempts to spray Sarin utilized pesticide sprayers, but these proved unreliable. Aum eventually used a modified refrigeration truck to spread poison gas, but when this also failed to have the desired effect, individual cult members were selected to deliver the agents by hand. On March 20, 1995, members of Aum entered the Tokyo Metro carrying liquid Sarin in plastic bags wrapped with newspaper. Each Aum member laid their pouches in predetermined locations before puncturing them with the tip of an umbrella. The poison gas flooded the cramped train cars and subway tunnels killing 14 people and injuring hundreds more. It remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Japan's history and the deadliest act of chemical terrorism ever.

Investigators immediately suspected Aum Shinrikyo was behind the attack. Shortly thereafter, members of the Japanese police and Self Defense Forces (including members of the JGSDF's 1st Airborne Brigade) personnel raided Aum's headquarters in Kamikuishiki, where they unearthed not only Aum's weapons-of-mass destruction production facility, but 4K-15214 as well.

The Mi-17 was seized by police, partially disassembled and left in storage outdoors for some time while the trials against Aum progressed. In 1998, 4K-15214 was sold (at a low price) by the Japanese government to Djibouti and reregistered as J2-MAW. It entered service with the Djibouti Air Force (DAF) in 2001. It was repainted in a dark green at some point after the transfer, and now bears a desert scheme.

[judgemark45]

SEA OF JAPAN (June 1, 2017) U.S. Navy and Japan Air Self-Defense Force aircraft fly in formation over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). The U.S. Navy and Japan Air Self-Defense Force routinely fly together to continue efforts of supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Artur Sedrakyar/Released)

[writingbyricochet]

AUTHOR (RE)INTRODUCTION: @WRITINGBYRICOCHET

Having been on Writeblr for ten months and with a recent uptick of followers, I thought it was due for a refresh of my intro! Fingers crossed this one will be a bit more informative about what kind of a writer I am than my first one!

— THE AUTHOR; ♡ —

Megan, Meg, or Lucky (she/her)

20s, Taiwanese American, Eastern Time Zone

Interacts from @luckyricochet

Ask/tag game friendly

In love with history, art, and romance itself

— WRITING; ♡ —

Primarily romance, historical fiction (or historically-inspired), fantasy, fanfiction

Aspirational: Dark academia, gothic

Favorite tropes: friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, sunshine/grump pairings, mutual pining

I love prose that is moody, atmospheric, and deeply emotive in its examination of the human condition almost to the point of romanticism. Besides the universal aims of a solid plot and characters, these are the qualities I want my own work to reflect the most.

— WORKS IN PROGRESS; ♡ —

Between Heaven and Earth

low fantasy/adventure; intro post, tag, wip page

Raised as a princess and heir apparent to the Velitovan throne, Laeisa Durecane's world is suddenly turned upside down when a diplomatic mission turns deadly and her father the King and his entire delegation are killed, leaving Laesia the sole survivor. Having to now abandon peace talks that would have formalized independence for her country, Laesia is forced into exile and takes refuge in the home of a young farmer. The distant rural district she now finds herself in is a far cry from the life of privilege she once enjoyed, but she at least has plenty of time to plot exactly how she will reclaim her throne and finally liberate Velitova.

Tomorrow is a Place

low fantasy/romance; intro post, tag

Do you believe in love at first sight? It’s fine if you don’t—that’s not how it happens in this story, at least not entirely. Even though Merity first takes a shine to the boy next door in childhood, it might have stayed an unspoken crush forever if not for a fateful decision that leaves Fendley wracked by his conscious and Merity his sole confidant. 𝔄𝔪𝔬𝔯 𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔦𝔱 𝔬𝔪𝔫𝔦𝔞. (Companion work to Between Heaven and Earth)

Poco a Poco

contemporary romance; intro post, tag

Welcome to Fujiwara Academy of Music, the most prestigious music conservatory in Japan. Balancing academics, work, and an attempt to win a lucrative scholarship is hard enough, but when Rika and Masahiro end up as duet partners, Rika has one more challenge to deal with: Breaking through to the academy’s best musician. It’s just as well that she keep trying, though. After all, chamber music is considered intimate for a reason.

Where Paradise Died and Lived

historical romance/the pacific au fanfic, intro post, tag

The attack on Pearl Harbor takes place far from most Americans’ homes, but for Sophie Holland, it’s right in her backyard. The idyllic tropical isle she knows is now a war zone, where death, suspicion, and martial law are a fact of daily life. With all of America mobilized for the war effort, Sophie joins the Women’s Air Raid Defense to do her part. The job is a welcome diversion that mostly keeps her from her own self-destructive habits, but it’s 1943 now, and her demons only become harder to ignore when the heroes of Guadalcanal—including one new 1st Lieutenant—arrive in Honolulu for rest and recovery.

Other WIPs that I have not formally introduced but am working on in some capacity are here and here. Please send me an ask if you would like to be added to any tag lists!

— CODA; ♡ —

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! I would love to make new friends and connect with writers who have similar interests, so if any of the above is your cup of tea, please interact and I'll check out your blog! Farewell for now~

[enriquemzn262]

Mitsubishi F-15J of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force with the colors of Maverick from Top Gun.

[redsamuraiii]

Soratobu Kouhoushitsu (Public Affairs Office in the Sky) Ep 1

A hot-headed reporter, Inaba Rika (Yui Aragaki) is sent to the Air Self Defence Force to find interesting news to cover. Former fighter pilot, Sorai Daisuke (Go Ayano) who now serves as the PR liaison suggested covering the challenging journey of becoming a fighter pilot. 

But Rika rejected the idea thinking that encouraging the young to love war machines that kill people is wrong, which agitates Daisuke who became a pilot out of love of flying and wanting to protect his home, but lost that dream when he was injured in an accident.  

[nocternalrandomness]

Kawasaki T-4

The Kawasaki T-4 is a Japanese subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft developed and manufactured by the commercial conglomerate Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Its sole operator is the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, in part due to historic restrictions on the exporting of military hardware, The T-4 has been used by the JASDF's Blue Impulse aerobatic team as well as liaison duties with most fighter units.[1] The first XT-4 prototype flew on 29 July 1985, while the first production aircraft was delivered during September 1988.

[eyestothe-skies]

Mitsubishi F-2, JASDF

Source: Masa737NG

[greengargouille]

A correction on Karasuma’s career

(...And Takaoka’s too I guess)

A fandom wiki can be a fickle thing. Sometimes helpful. Sometimes, straight up misinformation. Some time ago, I woke up in the middle of the night, pondering something about a character’s past that I immediately needed to check- as one is bound to do when they should be asleep. Said character? Karasuma Tadaomi of Assassination Classroom (as some mutuals will have cleverly guessed from the title). ...Except. Something was wrong. I’m not talking about his description as a ‘handsome young man’, because it’s supposed to be true within canon (despite visual evidence to the contrary). I’m talking about facts that are harder to disprove just by a glance- especially since the source isn’t written. “I’m... pretty sure Karasuma never was in the Air Force, that doesn’t sounds right.” “Warrant Officer? ‘According to the manga, Karasuma’s dress during his career-’ where. Which panel is it and where can I compare it to an actual uniform.” “Uh, Takaoka’s profile doesn’t help much more. ‘Takaoka and Karasuma were in the same squad in the military but were in different sections.’ That’s not possible, as a squad is part of a section. And unsourced too.”

So. Even though I don’t participate in the fandom. I had to do something. Edit the wiki? Well I don’t know if I need permission to do that, so no. But, there’s something much easier I can do, one thing I’m pretty used to. Complain about it on Tumblr! 

So, I looked up what I could. The official French translation, the English scans. His Graduation Album’s profile just in case, though it was unhelpful. Hunted down his tankobon’s profile, and, bingo, a career path! ...With a few differences from the French translation. Hmm. At this point I would need to look at the raws. Thankfully, I do have Roll Book Time, in paper format, a gift of years ago from my good friend and sweetheart. Unfortunately, I don’t actually read Japanese- but as if that stopped me in the past! By now I’m an expert at painfully looking over radicals to search for accurate kanji on jisho.org, one at a time. It’s long and tedious and in the end I still rely on Google Translate, but at least I’m going somewhere. So, without further ado! Let me show you what I’ve got!

[Alt: Photo of a half page from the Roll Book, describing Karasuma’s career. The text is in Japanese, and illustrated by two panels from the manga. One shows Karasuma in camo uniform training recruits, the other shows him at the start of the manga, presenting himself to the 3-E. ] For those of you who wants to read the Japanese text, but it is too small or the pic isn’t showing, here the transcription:

烏間先生の経歴ファイル 

自衛隊入隊

第一空挺団 配属

自衛隊の第一空挺団では、他者を寄せ付けない成績を収��、教官としての才能も目覚しかった。

統合情報部ヘ異動

諸外国の軍事、政治情情報などを収集し分析する諜報部員としても活躍。事務能力でも一流だ。

臨時特務部ヘ異動

これらの実績を買われて現在の特務部ヘ。迢破壊生物の暗殺・監視、E組ヘ技術提供に勤しむ。

As for some sort of translation, here’s a little something to get the gist of it, but don’t consider this as a totally accurate translation.

Karasuma-sensei’s background file Enrolled in the Self-defence Forces Assigned to the 1st Airborne Brigade In the SDF’s 1st Airborne Brigade, his talent was unmatched. His talent as an instructor was also remarkable. Transferred to the Defense Intelligence Office He had been active as an intelligence agent who collects and analyses military and political information in other countries. His office ability is also top notch. Temporary transferred to the Special Services Office Due to his past results, he was brought into the Special Affairs Department. He works with the monitoring / assassination of the “destructive creature”, and teaches his technique to Class E.

So, the first point of this. The Japanese Self-defence Force (which I will abbreviate in JSDF) is, like most if not all armies, divided into ground, air and naval forces. You would think the 1st Airborne Brigade is part of the Japan Air SDF, since there’s ‘airborne’ in the name. And you would be wrong! It is part of the Japan Ground SDF, and my, what a part it is. They’re considered among the toughest soldiers of the JGSDF, deserving of their “The Matchless Elite Second To None” motto. While the JSDF are supposedly defensive, as the name said, for legal reasons (they technically can’t call themselves an army because Japan can’t have one), this brigade is considered as one of the few with an offensive capability. Yeah, fitting for Karasuma! (And yes, this means Takaoka has been part of it too. Which... kinda explains why he underestimated Nagisa so much. If you’ve been in an elite troop for years, you can let a scrawny teenager with a knife get closer to you a few steps further, just to prove a point.) Then, we have what the tankobon profile’s translator chooses to translate as “Information Bureau”, but I choose Defense Intelligence Office. You see, the original text was 情報部. Now, Matsui has been known to slightly modify the name of actual places/schools rather than reference the actual thing (dunno if he’s required to do it or it’s a personal choice). And, if you take 部 (office, bureau, department- I prefer ‘office’ since it’s found in the translation for some Ministry of Defense’s extraordinary organs) and add 本 to make 本部 (headquarters), you get 情報本部, which is the Japanese name of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters! Which is still part of the Ministry of Defense, so it makes sense the transfer could be done. (As for Takaoka- The first page of chapter 38 shows us a shadowed Takaoka, with his chief going ‘It’s a hidden ball trick, courtesy of our Information Bureau’. So I guess it’s either a natural advancement career, either he followed Karasuma there, or this guy has the worst of luck.) Finally- Special Services Office- or Division, as per the English scans. But the tankobon profile translation talks about ‘Special Forces’? Well, I can disprove that. The Special Forces Group of JGSDF is 特殊作戦群 in Japanese. Meanwhile, 特務部 is... nowhere close from that, except there’s 特(special) in their names. Furthermore, we do have an 部 again at the end, which implies an office/department/division/etc. Given the explanation in Karasuma’s profile, I would assume this office was created specifically to deal with Korosensei, and various agents were transferred to it temporarily? Notably, Karasuma and Takaoka. --

Now, that solves it for the Air Force misunderstanding. What about Karasuma’s rank, though?The fandom wiki mentions his uniform in the manga. Which turns out to be one panel. It... makes sense, since Karasuma is no longer part of the JSDF, having transferred, and so wouldn’t be able to use a military uniform on important events ; the French translation of Karasuma’s chief’s words in his flashback from chapter 38 even says “After you abandoned your military uniform [...]”. What is this famous panel, then?

...Well, that’s going to be tricky. We don’t have a view of the arms themselves, though he doesn’t seem to have a patch. Then we have the notch lapel insignia, but those meant for rank are put on the upper notch- the lower notch is for the branch of service, from what I gathered in photos. (And I mean, it would be ridiculous as a rank insignia- it seems to have three dots in a triangle, so either a captain or a colonel, can you imagine this, a colonel? A guy in mid-twenties? Ridiculous) What about the shoulders, then? Well. Let me tell you a thing. ...Finding things about Japanese formal dress military uniforms is super annoying. US uniforms? Sure, no problem. French uniforms? If you type in French, sure. Japanese Uniforms? Oh, did you mean WWII Imperial Army uniform? No? You’re sure? Because this is what you will get. Oh, sure, Wikipedia has a page on the ranks and insignia of the JSDF. But it doesn’t seem to account for those formal epaulets, which are only used in ceremonies. But! There’s a silver lining! Typing 陸自 儀礼肩章 (JGSDF formal epaulets) in a pic search, we can then click on the ones that interest us and look for the grade. (Though, some of them seem to come from Yahoo Auction, and are unavailable to me). So, on our manga panel, we have three dots on the knot, plus a little one at the end to pin it to the uniform.

Something like this. Now those specific ceremonial shoulder insignia are for a 一等陸佐 (or 1等陸佐), which correspond in the US Army to... uh. Hm. Wait. Let me check. Gotta be a mistake. He can’t be a colonel.

...A bit smaller but that will do. Notice how the knots have one less... wire? Thread? Look, I’ve put way too much energy into this post to start worrying about words. Anyway, the number of stars might be the same, but the whole epaulet is different. And we even have the less formal insignias on the side! Those are for a 1等陸尉, which corresponds to... Captain. ...No, seriously. I mean, you can check on other sources if you want. Wikimedia even has this photo if you don’t believe me.) As for Takaoka (as well as every man present in the panel), it’s small but you can see two stars on his shoulders, so he has the grade just below- 2等陸尉, which corresponds to first lieutenant. But hey, maybe Matsui and his assistants took a random uniform as reference! You know, the anime tends to have interesting background details in the classroom, so maybe they would also have been careful with this!

...Ah, yeah, not really. What about Takaoka?

...Well. Not very helpful either. It does show us he has the service ribbon for the Medal with Blue Ribbon, a Japanese medal of honour awarded to individuals who have made significant achievements in the areas of public welfare or public service. As for the weird infinity sign- this pin badge is likely the same as Karasuma’s in the manga, which is not quite clear on the scan, but I can confirm on the tankobon that it’s the Ranger Courses pin badge. The fact it is golden means he specifically completed the Fuji School one, which is needed to be a course instructor or an officer. ...So, I have no idea where this Warrant Officer rank came from. It would make more sense, but it seems like somehow, Karasuma reached captain rank. Despite being in his mid-twenties (he’s 28 by the time of the manga, which is to say, after he spent time at the Defense Intelligence Office). Seriously, is it too much to ask for a bit of realism in my supersonic giant yellow octopus manga? ...One mystery remains, though. ...Where the hell did Karasuma find the time to get a valid teaching license? Because he does tell Gakuhô he has one early on, and being an instructor for military recruits certainly doesn’t require the same license as to teach middle-schoolers. Did he get a special rush training between the time Korosensei said he would be 3-E’s teacher and whenever chapter 3 happens? Or did he just happen to have one before? He probably entered the JSDF as soon as he got the minimum age, so I can’t see how. Matsui please show us your notes.