As deliveries proceed, the JASDF has now began coaching operations with the F-35B Lightning II at Nyutabaru Air Base.
The JASDF (Japan Air-Self Protection Drive) formally started its coaching operations with the F-35B Lightning II at Nyutabaru Air Base on Nov. 4, 2025, marking a major milestone in Tokyo’s transfer in the direction of a extra trendy Self-Protection Drive.
The preliminary part of F-35B coaching in Japan
The Nov. 4 sortie marked the primary coaching flight for the reason that sort’s introduction to the bottom, positioned within the southern island of Kyushu. In accordance with the Japanese MoD (Ministry of Protection), the primary part of coaching focuses on core STOVL (Quick Take Off and Vertical Touchdown) operations, together with short-takeoffs, touch-and-goes, slow-landings, and vertical landings.
新田原NOW.F35Bタッチアンドゴー pic.twitter.com/WBfiAhmBD2
— 前田正孝 (@takakumajapan) November 4, 2025
As common for JASDF sorties, a typical F-35B coaching mission will final one to 2 hours, and the MoD expects the preliminary coaching interval to proceed for 2 to 6 days, relying on climate and operational necessities. The MoD additionally introduced that the majority sorties will see the jets conducting CTOL (Typical Take Off and Touchdown) operations.
In actual fact, because of the elevated noise issue introduced on by the brand new sort, the JASDF has promised to restrict their vertical touchdown operations to a mean of 80 vertical landings per thirty days, with round 20 of these performed throughout night time sorties. Every hover and vertical touchdown sequence is anticipated to final two to 3 minutes.
新田原基地周辺地域に向けたF-35B飛行実演
空自35Bニュータ初の短距離離陸
納入時に消えていたロービジ日の丸🔘を視認して、改めて本邦の35Bだと実感しました🫡
航空自衛隊 臨時F-35B飛行隊2025/09/17(Wed)RJFN/Nyutabaru Air BaseLockheed Martin F-35B(59-8204)STOVL Demonstration Flight pic.twitter.com/uuPbmCKXzK
— ﾏﾛﾀﾞﾖｰ (@Marodayooooo) September 17, 2025
Notably, U.S. pilots performed an illustration flight on the base on Sep. 17, in an try to mitigate considerations of native residents over the noise attributable to the vertical landings. Moreover, an airbase is being constructed at Mageshima Island, round 150 kilometers to the south of Nyutabaru, for pilots to observe vertical landings with out complaints over noise.
The primary three F-35Bs have been delivered to Nyutabaru in August 2025, adopted by one other batch of two that arrived in October. Three extra jets are scheduled to be delivered later within the fiscal 12 months, with the JASDF anticipating to area its preliminary complement of eight STOVL fighters by the top of fiscal 12 months 2025 as a part of Japan’s deliberate fleet of 42 F-35Bs.
空自35B 追加2機のフェリーフライト14時過ぎに 新田原基地に到着しました。携わられたcrewの皆様、遠路はるばるお疲れ様でした🙂↕️
航空自衛隊 臨時F-35B飛行隊JASDF Short-term F-35B SquadronLockheed Martin F-35B(59-8202/59-8206)2025/10/28(Tue)RJFN/Nyutabaru Air Base#新田原基地 pic.twitter.com/irrJ621SA5
— ﾏﾛﾀﾞﾖｰ (@Marodayooooo) October 28, 2025
F-35Bs in Japanese service
Japan plans to function a portion of its 42 F-35Bs aboard the JMSDF’s (Japan Maritime Self-Protection Drive) helicopter-destroyers JS Kaga and JS Izumo. Each ships are at present present process structural modifications to accommodate the F-35Bs, with the completion anticipated by the top of the fiscal 12 months 2027.
As a part of this system, each vessels have already performed developmental trials with plane from the USN (US Navy)’s VX-23 (Air Take a look at and Analysis Squadron 23).
For now, the plane at Nyutabaru function below a “Short-term F-35B Flight Squadron,” however the Ministry of Protection has disclosed plans to face up the primary everlasting unit because the 202nd TFS (Tactical Fighter Squadron) below the FY2026 finances. The 202nd TFS, initially established in 1964 and primarily based at Nyutabaru for many of its operational historical past, was disbanded in 2000.
The unit is known as the primary squadron within the JASDF to transition from the F-104J to the F-15J. Its emblem earlier than the deactivation was that of a Haniwa, small clay-made statue present in archeological websites close to the bottom, however it’s unclear whether or not the revived 202nd TFS will proceed to make use of stated emblem.
Notably, the JASDF additionally operates F-35As and has already acquired 47 models out of the deliberate fleet of 105, with the 301st and 302nd TFS primarily based at Misawa Air Base working 20 airframes every. The third F-35A squadron, the 303rd TFS primarily based at Komatsu, lately started transitioning from the F-15J/DJ and has acquired 7 models of the fifth-generation jet up to now.
In contrast to the service’s F-35As that are license-built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Komaki, Nagoya, all JASDF F-35Bs are being produced at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Value plant within the U.S.
59-8204 BX-04 F-35B JASDF (Japan Air Self-Protection Drive) on a check flight at NAS JRB Fort Value in STOVL mode. pic.twitter.com/0expFdzlRQ
— Sam Combs (@pressxtolive) July 2, 2025
