As deliveries continue, the JASDF has begun training operations with the F-35B Lightning II at Nyutabaru Air Base.
The JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) officially began its training operations with the F-35B Lightning II at Nyutabaru Air Base on November 4, 2025, marking a major milestone in Tokyo’s move towards a more modern Self-Defense Force.
The initial phase of F-35B training in Japan
The Nov. 4 sortie marked the first training flight since the type’s introduction to the base, located on the southern island of Kyushu. According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense (Ministry of Defense)The first phase of training focuses on core STOVL (short takeoff and vertical landing) operations, including short takeoffs, touch and gos, slow landings, and vertical landings.
新田原NOW.F35Bタッチアンドゴー pic.twitter.com/WBfiAhmBD2
— 前田正孝 (@takakumajapan) November 4, 2025
As is typical for JASDF sorties, a typical F-35B training mission will last one to two hours, and the Ministry of Defense expects the initial training period to continue for two to six days, depending on weather and operational requirements. The Ministry of Defense also announced that on most departures the planes will carry out CTOL (conventional takeoff and landing) operations.
In fact, due to the higher noise factor caused by the new type, the JASDF has promised to limit its vertical landing operations to an average of 80 vertical landings per month, of which around 20 will be conducted during night raids. Each hover and vertical landing sequence is expected to last two to three minutes.
新田原基地周辺地域に向けたF-35B飛行実演
空自35Bニュータ初の短距離離陸
納入時に消えていたロービジ日の丸🔘を視認して、改めて本邦の35Bだと実感しました🫡
航空自衛隊 臨時F-35B飛行隊
2025/09/17 (Wednesday)
RJFN/Nyutabaru Air Base
Lockheed Martin F-35B(59-8204)
STOVL demonstration flight pic.twitter.com/uuPbmCKXzK— ﾏﾛﾀﾞﾖｰ (@Marodayooooo) September 17, 2025
Notably, American pilots conducted a demonstration flight at the base on September 17, in an attempt to alleviate local residents’ concerns about noise caused by vertical landings. Additionally, an air base is being built on Mageshima Island, about 150 kilometers south of Nyutabaru, so pilots can practice vertical landings without complaining about noise.
The first three F-35Bs were delivered to Nyutabaru in August 2025, followed by another batch of two that arrived in October. Three additional aircraft are scheduled to be delivered later in the fiscal year, and the JASDF expects to deploy its initial complement of eight STOVL fighters by the end of fiscal year 2025 as part of Japan’s planned fleet of 42 F-35Bs.
空自35B 追加2機のフェリーフライト
14時過ぎに 新田原基地に到着しました.
携わられたcrewの皆様、遠路はるばるお疲れ様でした🙂↕️航空自衛隊 臨時F-35B飛行隊
JASDF Temporary F-35B Squadron
Lockheed Martin F-35B
(59-8202/59-8206)
2025/10/28 (Tuesday)
RJFN/Nyutabaru Air Base#新田原基地 pic.twitter.com/irrJ621SA5— ﾏﾛﾀﾞﾖｰ (@Marodayooooo) October 28, 2025
F-35B in Japanese service
Japan plans to operate a portion of its 42 F-35Bs aboard the JMSDF (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force) destroyer helicopters. JS Kaga and JS Izumo. Both ships are currently undergoing structural modifications to accommodate the F-35B, and are expected to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2027.
As part of the program, both ships have already carried out development tests with aircraft from the USN (US Navy) VX-23 (Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23).
For now, the aircraft at Nyutabaru operate under an “F-35B Temporary Flying Squadron”, but the Ministry of Defense has revealed plans to establish the first permanent unit as the 202nd TFS (Tactical Fighter Squadron) under the fiscal year 2026 budget. The 202nd TFS, originally established in 1964 and based at Nyutabaru for most of its operational history, was disbanded in 2000.
The unit is famous for being the first JASDF squadron to transition from the F-104J to the F-15J. Its emblem before deactivation was that of a Haniwasmall statue made of clay found at archaeological sites near the base, but it is unclear whether the revived 202 TFS will continue to use such an emblem.
Notably, the JASDF also operates F-35As and has already received 47 units of the planned fleet of 105, with the TFS 301 and 302 based at Misawa Air Base operating 20 airframes each. The third F-35A squadron, the Komatsu-based 303rd TFS, recently began the F-15J/DJ transition and has so far received 7 units of the fifth-generation aircraft.
Unlike the service’s F-35As, which are built under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Komaki, Nagoya, all JASDF F-35Bs are produced at the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, US.
59-8204 BX-04 F-35B JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) on a test flight at NAS JRB Fort Worth in STOVL mode. pic.twitter.com/0expFdzlRQ
– Sam Combs (@pressxtolive) July 2, 2025
