Japan Disaster

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19 years 6 months

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Just saw this photograph of an F-2 supposedly destroyed in the recent Japan Tsunami/Earthquake.

http://gizmodo.com/#!5781778/a-journey-through-japans-demolished-infrastructure

Anyone with further details on this, or the response that is being mounted?

Original post

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18 years 7 months

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Check out the F-2 thread further down this page.

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17 years 10 months

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Had seen this picture on local TV, plus the 2seater version of the Sabre (cant remember the name) which was seen sticking out from under a building, though it looked intact.

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20 years 6 months

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I have been seeing on the news what look to be Chinooks trying to water bomb the nuclear power station in Japan and it makes me wonder why some one has not lent japan a BE-200 or similar aircraft to properly water bomb the power stations.

Would the Japanese government have requested these aircraft?

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18 years 10 months

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Had seen this picture on local TV, plus the 2seater version of the Sabre (cant remember the name) which was seen sticking out from under a building, though it looked intact.

Fuji T-1.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/T-1B.JPG/300px-T-1B.JPG

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14 years 7 months

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I have been seeing on the news what look to be Chinooks trying to water bomb the nuclear power station in Japan and it makes me wonder why some one has not lent japan a BE-200 or similar aircraft to properly water bomb the power stations.

Would the Japanese government have requested these aircraft?

They need a helo to get the maximin amount of water at a pinpoint position. The chinook or even better the Mi-26 uses the biggest Bambi Buckets to do that job. The problem is the radiation level which restricts the minimum flightlevel to 90 m. or higher.

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14 years

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They need a helo to get the maximin amount of water at a pinpoint position. The chinook or even better the Mi-26 uses the biggest Bambi Buckets to do that job. The problem is the radiation level which restricts the minimum flightlevel to 90 m. or higher.

Or perhaps a 6 pack of these in remote-control mode:

200-ton load water bomber. Lights out!

http://www.worldskycat.com/improved/skyconverted_375/fireb.jpg

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20 years 6 months

Posts: 3,328

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/feature/20110316-866918/news/20110319-OYT1T00004.htm

2011.03.19:
Matsushima AB damage assessment. Total 28 aircraft disabled.
Up to 230 billion Yen.

One SDF soldier killed. 8(

F-2 x 18.
Each 12.2 billion Yen.

T-4 x 4. One of these is Blue Impulse.

U-125A x 2.

UH-60J x 4.
Each 4.7 billion Yen.

As seen on TV:

F-2: 23-8114, &c.
T-4: 16-5659, &c.

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20 years 6 months

Posts: 3,328

http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/mizota/102300441.html

Pre-assembled and pre-painted 1/144 models of JASDF Blue Impulse T-4s that came out on 2010.04.14.

http://image.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/i/l/mizota_102300441_1

None of the six featured T-4s is 16-5659, but I don't know the serial numbers of the other three of the four T-4s damaged at Matsushima AB, and I haven't seen photos of the six that deployed to Kyuushuu Island and avoided the earthqake/tsunami/radiation.

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20 years 6 months

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http://www.asagumo-news.com/news/201103/110324/11032407.html

Japanese article dated 24 March 2011.
Concise details about when the earthquake and tsunami hit Matsushima AB, Miyagi Prefecture, on 11 March 2011; and the restoration effort there as of 18 March 2011.

11 March 2011, afternoon, because bad weather, aborted training flights. 14:46, snowing.
After first earthquake passed, they ran to command HQ building, to establish emergency command post.
When tsunami warning came, they ran to third floor or above of earthquake-resistant buildings.
AB outer perimeter was 400 m from coast. About 15:30, earth, wood, and sea water of tsunami quickly flooded AB.

[SKIP]

Amongst 900 staff of Matsushima AB, only one off-duty staff was confirmed killed. Some dependents and relatives were killed or missing.
As of 23 March 2011, still no heating or power.

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http://www.asahi.com/national/jiji/JJT201103290108.html
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/region/news/110329/myg11032917460012-n1.htm

29 March 2011:
Sendai AP, Miyagi Prefecture.
3,000 m runway and 144 navigation lights repaired, and powered by mobile electricity generators. Full runway now useable by military aircraft.

Civilian flights still aborted.
Control tower, second 1,200 m runway, and terminal building still damaged.

Inside AP, almost 1,000 cars removed.

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http://www.zakzak.co.jp/society/domestic/news/20110405/dms1104051136000-n1.htm

http://www.zakzak.co.jp/society/domestic/news/20110406/dms1104061536016-n1.htm

Jap serial articles dated 5-6 April 2011, about when the tsunami bashed Matsushima AB.

After the tsunami warning was issued, everyone was ordered to evacuate to third floor or above, not even second floor. However, many controllers and ground crew were still working on the ground, even at the runways, and were difficult to contact.

They used the PA system, and drove cars around the runways, to pass the warning that the tsunami ETA was 15:10. About 1,100 people evacuated into earthquake-resistant buildings, mostly on the roofs.

They began to check names, and they included employees of the shops and visitors on business. Still snowing, and sirens blaring, time went by, and passed the tsunami ETA.

Eerie silence.

From the roofs, they saw cars still driving on the coastline roads, and they yelled at them. Some cars U-turned, but others drove along.

At 15:54, the black tsunami arrived. The soldiers' private cars began to float.

The four-metre tsunami KO the power generators, 28 aircraft, and emergency supplies. They prepared radio sets to contact any incoming SAR aircraft, and turned off cell phones to conserve batteries.

Fires were seen in the Ishinomaki direction, where the soldiers' families were.

Sunset and darkness. Candles were lit.

Later, aircraft sound. Radio contact, and discovered it came from Hyakuri AB.

During the night, they thought of the tasks to do after the next sunrise, but they had no cars, no long boots, no tools... nothing.

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http://www.nikkei.com/news/category/article/g=96958A9C93819481E3E3E2E09C8DE3E3E2E6E0E2E3E38297EAE2E2E2;at=ALL

11 April 2011:
JMOD announces some of the new pilots training at Matsushima AB, will relocate to Misawa AB.
The first batch involve about 40 instructor pilots, students, and mechanics.

Actually, this article doesn't specify what aircraft they fly, but it mentions the F-2 at Matsushima, are disabled.

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24 years 2 months

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Have the RF-4E's & RF-4EJ's taken part in any of the clean-up efforts? I read at one time that they are used in situations like this when their sensors can be used to gather data about large natural disasters such as this.

Anyone know?

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20 years 6 months

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http://mainichi.jp/area/aichi/news/20110408ddlk23040011000c.html

Small news photo, dated 6 April 2011, of damaged F-2s and an helo in an hangar, at Matsushima AB.
Can't see S/Ns.

http://ameblo.jp/captain-kotora/image-10843927099-11130400171.html

Can't see S/Ns.

http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/199146/car/645303/2444526/photo.aspx

http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/199146/car/645303/2446989/photo.aspx

http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/199146/car/645303/2465458/photo.aspx

Photos, dated 26 January 2011, of Matsushima AB.
Can barely spot some S/Ns.

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20 years 6 months

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] Have the RF-4E's & RF-4EJ's taken part in any of the clean-up efforts?

http://followme2.blog19.fc2.com/blog-entry-142.html

FWIW, can't seem to readily find any news about whether JASDF F-4s, RF-4s, or T-4s were tasked with sorties to the northeastern prefectures or not, after the 3-11 earthquake + tsunami + nuke unpleasantness. 8(

OTOH, the above blog entry claims (in Japanese) WRT JASDF Phantom IIs, a certain pilot isn't always assigned to a certain WSO.
The pilot/WSO pairings irregularly change.

Better, a pilot isn't exclusively trained as a pilot, and a WSO isn't exclusively trained as a WSO.
So, a pilot's sometimes assigned as a WSO to the back seat, and vice versa.

Thus, the Phantom II crews accumulate and overlap, front and back seats experience.

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19 years 5 months

Posts: 9,821

There is an article in the new Aviation Week magazine about the impending shut down of the F-2 production line. Defense officials were concerned about that, not wanting to lose that industrial capability.
However, they'll now get some help, the Japanese have decided to repair the 18 F-2 damaged in the tusnami.
Electronics and engines will have to be replaced, but it's thought the basic airframes are repairable.