Page 29 - AirForces - Monthly (February 2020)

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Above: RF-4E serial 47-6901 wears the 501 Hikotai farewell markings with a strip of film and the unit’s operational dates. Below left: The sad sight of an F-4EJ Kai
being scrapped at Hyakuri. Below right: 301 Hikotai will be Japan’s final Phantom II squadron. The unit’s specially marked F-4EJ Kai is seen here surrounded by
adoring enthusiasts at the Hyakuri event.
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28-29 Hyakuri AFM Feb2020.indd
28-29 Hyakuri AFM Feb2020.indd
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up display (HUD), AN/APX- it’s expected to give up its only external pods. This
76A identification friend last Phantoms this year. To equipment consists of a
or foe (IFF), AN/ALE-40 mark the occasion of its final KS-146B long-range oblique
countermeasures dispenser air festival, F-4EJ 37-8315 photography (LOROP)
and J/APR-6 radar warning was painted in a spectacular camera pod and a TAC pod
receiver (RWR). After this yellow and black scheme. with KS-135A and KS-95B
upgrade, the F-4EJ Kai was cameras, plus a D-5000UR
also able to carry ASM-1 anti- 501 Hikotai infrared recognition device.
ship missiles and AAM-3 air- The other Phantom unit Another option is the Tactical
to-air missiles and offered at the base is the Teisatsu Electronic Reconnaissance
more precision in the ground- Kokutai’s 501 Hikotai, which (TACER) pod with a data link
attack role compared with is planned to decommission designed by Thomson-CSF.
the F-4EJ. A total of 96 in March. The first of an As well as the unit’s cartoon
F-4EJs were brought up initial 14 unarmed RF-4Es Woody Woodpecker emblem,
to the Kai standard and for the unit arrived in 1974, some RF-4E and RF-4EJ
entered service from 1989. two years after Japan’s jets have received special
301 Hikotai budget included provisions markings displaying its
for the type to succeed
years of operations – 1961
It was at Hyakuri in 1972 the RF-86F Sabre. All the to 2020 – applied over a
that 301 Hikotai received original reconnaissance jets strip of film, as illustrated in
its first two F-4EJs – still were delivered directly by the accompanying photo.
as a ‘provisional’ squadron. McDonnell Douglas and were While the Phantom force
A year later the squadron later upgraded too, including winds down, 302 Hikotai
became fully operational replacement of the AN/ jets are already being
and adopted the primary APQ-99 with the AN/APQ- scrapped and examples
role of aircrew conversion. 172 terrain-following radar could be seen in a car
The unit left Hyakuri in 1985 and modified RWRs, plus a breaker’s yard close to the
for Nyutabaru AB before new INS, though they did base. This unit ceased flying
returning to its birthplace not receive the ‘Kai’ name. the jet at the end of 2018.
on October 31, 2016. Its The new-build RF-4Es were In the near future,
jets carry the emblem of joined by 15 existing F-4EJs Hyakuri AB will welcome 3
a frog found on Mount that were converted to Hikotai, which will transfer
Tsukuba, close to Hyakuri. RF-4EJ standard. The RF-4EJ its Mitsubishi F-2A/B
Plans call for 301 Hikotai to doesn’t carry any internal fighters from its current
transition to the F-35A and reconnaissance equipment, base at Misawa AB. AFM
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