Kadena Air Base

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Kadena airfield 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō
IATA: DNA - ICAO: RODN
Summary
Airport type		Military
Operator		United States Air Force (Fifth Air Force)
Serves		Naha
Elevation AMSL		ft (44 m)
Coordinates		26°21′20″N, 127°46′03″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
05R/23L		3688×61	Paved
05L/23R		3688×91	Paved

Kadena Air Base is the largest American airbase in Asia. It is located on Okinawa Island, and was captured from the Japanese by American forces early in the Battle of Okinawa in World War II. The 18th Wing is the host unit.

1 History
2 Mission
3 Notable Areas
4 Air traffic control
5 Beacon
6 See also
7 References
8 External links and references

[edit] History

Kadena Air Base history dates back to just before the United States invasion of Okinawa during World War II. A local construction firm completed a small airfield near the island's village of Kadena. The airfield, used by Japanese warplanes, was one of the first targets of the U.S. Tenth Army.

On 16 July 1945, Headquarters Eighth Air Force was transferred, without personnel, equipment, or combat elements to Kadena from RAF High Wycombe England being assigned to the U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces to train new bomber groups for combat against Japan. In the planned invasion of Japan, the mission of Eighth Air Force would be to conduct B-29 Superfortress raids from Okinawa.

By August 1945, repairs were made and an additional runway was built and the original runway lengthened and improved to accommodate bombers. The atomic bombings of Japan led to the Japanese surrender before Eighth Air Force saw action in the Pacific theater

The surrender of Japanese forces in the Ryukyu Islands came 7 September the same year. General Joseph Stilwell accepted the surrender in an area that would later become Kadena's Stearley Heights housing area.

Although Kadena originated as a fighter base, a B-29 organization -- the 316th Bombardment Wing -- was the first element responsible for operating the base. The 19th Bombardment Group arrived from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam to fight in the Korean War. In August 1950, the 307th Bombardment Group arrived at Kadena from MacDill Air Force Base , Florida, adding to the base's growing bomber force.

When the Korean War ended, the B-29s departed and, by 1954, had been replaced with F-86 fighters. In March 1955, the 313th Air Division was activated at Kadena. The Air Division was incorporated into the 18th Composite Wing in 1992.

During the Vietnam War Kadena acted as a host base for B-52s conducting Operation Arc Light and Operation Linebacker bombing missions in Southeast Asia, for A-12 and SR-71 strategic reconnaissance aircraft, and for the KC-135 tankers which provided aerial refueling support for them. The deployment of the SR-71 was notable among local Okinawans, who coined it the Habu based on the similar color and profile of the aircraft to the local snake species. The nickname continues to remain popular among the SR-71 community.

[edit] Mission

Kadena Air Base

The 18th Wing's mission is to defend U.S. and Japanese mutual interests by providing a responsive staging and operational airbase with integrated, deployable, forward-based airpower.

The wing is composed of five groups: operations, maintenance, mission support, civil engineer and medical. The wing provides facilities for U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army and other forces assigned to or transiting Kadena.

Approximately 7,000 military members are assigned to the wing. The total base population of 23,000 from five major commands also includes family members, U.S. civilians, Japanese base workers, and contractors. The wing manages $6 billion in resources, including nearly 80 F-15, KC-135, E-3 and HH-60G aircraft valued at more than $4 billion. Other equipment and capital assets are valued at approximately $2 billion.

In November 2006, the U.S. Army's 1-1 ADA Battalion, a Patriot PAC-III unit, deployed to Kadena from Fort Bliss Texas^[1]. They are assigned to the 94th AAMDC, PACOM, they were assigned to 31st ADA Brigade at Fort Bliss. The move was part of the BRAC consolidation of U.S. Army bases and security agreements between the U.S. and Japan. The battalion's mission is to defend the base against tactical ballistic missiles from North Korea. The deployment was controversial in Okinawa. The unit was greeted by protests.^[2]

In 2006, the U.S. Air Force announced that Kadena will transition to the the F-35 Lightning II airframe from the current F-15 Eagle. The base is currently undergoing environmental testing to find the environmental footprint the F-35 would cause.

Recently, twelve F-22 Raptors have been deployed to Kadena for a temporary period of time. Some Okinawans have seen the deployment as counter-productive regarding promises of military downsizing on the island. ^[3]

[edit] Notable Areas

Main Street (The Tiki)
Gate 2 Street
Kadena Tarmac
Kadena BX
Schilling Community Center
Airmans Club
NCO Club
Officers Club
Kadena High School
Kadena Middle School
The Asian Division of University of Maryland University College (UMUC)[1]

[edit] Air traffic control

CLR	123.300	235.000
GND	118.500	275.800
TWR	126.200	236.600	315.800
APP/DEP(North)	119.100	335.800
APP/DEP(South）	126.500	258.300
18 WG COMD POST	311.000	355.200
AIRLIFT　COMD POST	128.000	349.400
PTD	131.400	266.000
BASE OPS	266.000
MET	344.600
ATIS	124.200	280.500

The U.S. air force (the 5th air force) takes charge of control.

In addition, the airspace control of Okinawa Island and the circumference of it are not under Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, but under the OKINAWA approach control (the common name is Kadena Rapcon(嘉手納ラプコン,Kadena rapukon)Radar APproach CONtrol) of U.S. air force in the Kadena base.

The management of control charge is due to be transferred to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the near future, and the air traffic controllers belonging to the ministry are training it towards change of jurisdiction as of December, 2006.