Trip Report Japan - Kadena AB RODN/DNA Part 1

Kadena Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units. Associate units operate more than 20 permanently assigned, forward-based or deployed aircraft from the base on a daily basis.

18th Wing
Kadena Air Base is the home to the Air Force's largest combat wing—the 18th Wing—and a variety of associate units. Nearly 18,000 Americans and more than 4,000 Japanese employees and contractors make up Team Kadena. The wing is broken down into five groups, the 18th Operations Group, the 18th Maintenance Group, the 18th Mission Support Group, the 18th Civil Engineer Group and the 18th Medical Group. Kadena's fleet of F-15C/D Eagles (the 44th and  67th Fighter Squadrons); KC-135R/T Stratotankers (the 909th Air Refueling Squadron); E-3B/C Sentries (the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron); HH-60 Pave Hawks (the 33d Rescue Squadron); MC-130H Combat Talon IIs; MC-130P Combat Shadows; RC- and WC- 135s; and Navy P-3 Orions project U.S. deterrence throughout the Western Pacific and South-East Asia, promoting regional peace and stability.

Associate units:

• 353d Special Operations Group
  The flying squadrons operate the MC-130P Combat Shadow, MC-130H Combat Talon II.
• 733rd Air Mobility Squadron
  The more than 320 people of the 733rd Air Mobility Squadron manage all passengers and cargo traveling by air in and out of Kadena. This Air Mobility Command unit supports about 650 aircraft arrivals and departures every month, moving more than 12,000 passengers and nearly 3,000 tons of cargo.
• 82d Reconnaissance Squadron
  Air Combat Command's 82d Reconnaissance Squadron maintains aircraft; prepares combat-ready aircrews; and analyzes, processes, and disseminates intelligence data launch in support of RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, RC-135U Combat Sent and WC-135 Constant Phoenix missions flown in the Pacific Theater.
• 390th Intelligence Squadron
  Air Intelligence Agency's 390th Intelligence Squadron conducts information operations by providing tailored combat intelligence and assessing the security of friendly command, control, communication and computer systems to enhance warfighting survivability, situation awareness and targeting.
• U.S. Army
  1st Battalion, 1st Air Defence Artillery REgiment (United States), assigned to the 94th AAMDC.

Kadena Air Park with CT-39A Sabreliner 62-4484
in background



Quonset Hut at Kadena AB.



F-4C Phantom 64-0913 at Kadena AB.



F-15 Eagle AF78-0088 at Kadena AB.



F-15 Eagle at Kadena AB.



F-100 Sabre 63277 at Kadena AB.



F-105F Thunderbolt 62-4418 at Kadena AB.



F-105F Thunderbolt 62-4418 at Kadena AB.



F-86F Sabre 24341 at Kadena AB.



T-33A Shooting Star TR612 at Kadena AB.



F-4C Phantom at Kadena AB.