US retires F-14 squadron from Japan

The Times of India ^ | September 24 2003 | Associated Press

[knighthawk]

NAVAL AIR STATION ATSUGI, Japan: A squadron of 11 US F-14 fighters flew out of this base just south of Tokyo on Wednesday for the last time, ending a 12-year deployment in Japan.

Fighter Squadron VF-154, known as the Black Knights, was being relocated to Naval Air Station Lemoore, California in keeping with the Navy's policy of retiring its aging F-14 Tomcat fleet.

According to a Navy statement, the squadron was initially deployed to this base in August 1981 to join Carrier Air Wing Five.

This year, flying off the deck of the USS Kitty Hawk, it joined coalition forces in the Iraq War, flying nearly 300 combat sorties and dropping more than 350 bombs. It returned to Japan in May.

Roughly 50,000 US troops are stationed in Japan under a mutual security pact. The United States Seventh Fleet, with about 10,000 sailors, has its home port in Yokosuka, another base south of Tokyo.

Officials said the squadron would be replaced, but did not say when.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[dighton]

[ibheath]

This makes me sad. There is nothing as impressive as feeling the deck shake with the thunder and light of an F-14 in full afterburner just prior to the cat launch. I served with CAW-5 while stationed on the Indy. Great aircraft, if a tad leaky with its hydraulic fluids.

[Prof Engineer]

Navy ping

[dighton]

Big photo of what you described.

[ibheath]

YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!

[ibheath]

Sorry for the size! That was the first pic I've ever posted.

[Last Dakotan]

Why are we defending Japan?

[SquirrelKing]

No problemo. Felt like I was there!

FYI: add width="###" height="###" between img and src when you post.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Because WWII ended.

[Pukin Dog]

VF-154 has a proud history. I've flown that Japan duty with VF-111 off the Kitty years ago. The Japanese people loved our colors as they were similar to their old flag. An era is ending.

[Spruce]

Are they being replaced by Hornets or the JSF?

[Pukin Dog]

Super Hornets.

[Arpege92]

"Why are we defending Japan?"

Because the French can't do it! ;-}

[ibheath]

Two things.

One, the Japanese constitution (which the US wrote) prevents them from having anything other than a homeland defense force.

Two, our bases over there are not to protect them, they are to protect US. We can respond from there much quicker to many regions of the world.

While you hear about problems in Okinowa between the Japanese and US military, it is usually because some boneheaded punk who happens to be wearing the uniform rapes one of their daughters. I never had a problem the two years I was stationed there.

[GATOR NAVY]

I don't know what Cobra said since his post was deleted by the time I saw this thread, but another thing that should be pointed out is that the Japanese Government pays a lot of money to support these bases, especially facilites. My shop just moved into a brand new building last spring all paid for by GOJ.

[POA2]

I still think this was a bad mistake - trying to replace the Tomcats with the Super Hornets - the SH just don't have the capabilities of the Tomcat - especially if they would have went with the Super-Tomcat D's.