Latest news with #Nyutabaru
NHK
5 days ago
- General
- NHK
F-35B fighters arrive in Japan as Self-Defense Forces' first deployment
F-35B stealth fighter jets procured for the Japan Self-Defense Forces arrived at an airbase in Japan on Thursday as the SDF's first deployment of the aircraft. The arrival comes amid criticisms by locals who are concerned about the jet's noise during training. The three jets flown by US military pilots landed at the Air Self-Defense Force's Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture shortly past 1:30 p.m. The aircraft can take off from short runways and make vertical landings. The noise generated during the landing is louder than from conventional jets. In order for the residents to confirm the noise, the first jet that arrived conducted a vertical landing as a demonstration. It gradually reduced its speed about 2 kilometers from the landing point, and took about a minute to complete touchdown. Japan's Defense Ministry says the arrival of a fourth jet was postponed due to a delay in inspections. Previously the ministry had said landing training will not take place except for emergencies. But it angered local residents and the prefectural government by changing its stance and announced training would take place not only during the day but also at night. Finally, the ministry announced it was preparing a reviewed plan for training to be presented this autumn, and said landing training will not take place until explanation of the plan to the local population has been completed. The ministry says it wants to use the jets on a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer whose deck is undergoing modification work to allow the stealth fighter jets to take off and land.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Japan deploys its first F-35B fighter jets to bolster defenses in the south
Japan 's first three F-35B stealth fighter jets arrived Thursday at an air base in the south of the country, its latest move to fortify defenses as tensions in the region grow. The new arrivals are three of the four F-35Bs scheduled for deployment at the Nyutabaru Air Base in the Miyazaki prefecture. The fourth jet is set to arrive at a later date, the Air Self-Defense Force said. The jets, which have short take-off and vertical landing functions, are to operate from two Japanese helicopter carriers, the Izumo and the Kaga, that were modified to accommodate the F-35B. The Defense Ministry has said four more F-35Bs will be delivered to Nyutabaru by the end of March 2026. Japan considers China as a regional threat and has accelerated its military buildup on remote islands in the southwest. Japan is currently constructing a runway on a new air base on the island of Mageshima, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the Nyutabaru base, for F-35B flight exercises. However, the drills will have to be conducted at Nyutabaru until around 2030 due to construction delays, triggering protests from local residents concerned about aircraft noise. Japan plans to deploy a total of 42 Lockheed Martin F-35Bs and 105 of the conventional take-off and landing, or CTOL, F-35As, making the country the biggest F-35 user outside of the United States.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Japan deploys its first F-35B fighter jets to bolster defenses in the south
TOKYO — Japan's first three F-35B stealth fighter jets arrived Thursday at an air base in the south of the country, its latest move to fortify defenses as tensions in the region grow. The new arrivals are three of the four F-35Bs scheduled for deployment at the Nyutabaru Air Base in the Miyazaki prefecture. The fourth jet is set to arrive at a later date, the Air Self-Defense Force said.
