Grounding of Fleet Not in Prospect, Says Minister
Two Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) pilots have been listed as missing after their F-15DJ Eagle fighter aircraft crashed into the Sea of Japan on 31 January.
Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said during a 1 February press conference that the JASDF, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Coast Guard have mobilised search planes, helicopters, and vessels to find them, after debris and lifesaving equipment believed to be from the plane had been spotted at sea.
The fighter had disappeared from radar screens around 17:30 local time on 31 January, about 5km west-northwest of Komatsu Air Base in Ishikawa Prefecture, during a routine training mission.
The minister said that the JASDF will not ground its F-15 fleet, calling instead for JASDF aircraft to be more carefully inspected before and after all flights.
The JASDF has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Japan had 201 F-15J/DJs, 5 F-4EJs, 91 F-2A/Bs and 21 F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft as of 31 March 2021, according to the 2021 Defense of Japan White Paper, which was released last July.
In April 2019, an F-35A operating from Misawa Air Base crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, killing the pilot.
Kosuke Takahashi reporting from Tokyo for MON
