Article 13954 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: New Fighter Series--McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle (15 of 26)
Message-ID: <D47HGz.8zF@ssbunews.ih.att.com>
Summary: F-15J and F-15DJ for Japan
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Date: Sat, 18 Feb 1995 17:19:47 GMT
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So far, the only nation to build the F-15 Eagle under license is 
Japan.  In June-July of 1975, Japanese officers carried out two flight 
evaluations of the F-15A/B Eagle at Edwards AFB.  In December of 1977, 
the Japanese National Defense Council announced that the Eagle had 
been selected to supplement and eventually replace the Lockheed F-104J 
Starfighters serving with the Nihon Koku Jietai (Japanese Air Self 
Defense Force, or JASDF).  The Japanese Eagle was to be designated 
F-15J, with the two-seat version being F-15DJ.  They were to be the 
Japanese counterparts of the F-15A and B respectively.  

A license was acquired for manufacture of the F-15 in Japan, with 
Mitsubishi being selected as the prime contractor.  Initial plans were 
for the first two single seaters and 12 two-seaters to be built in St 
Louis by McDonnell under Project *Peace Eagle*.  The remainder would 
be manufactured in Japan by Mitsubishi at its plant in Komaki.  A 
similar sort of arrangement had been worked out for license 
manufacture in Japan of the Eagle's predecessor, the F-4 Phantom.  

As it turned out, the Japanese F-15s were quite similar to the early 
production blocks of the USAF F-15C and D.  However, Japanese Eagles 
were to differ from the Air Force Eagles primarily in omitting certain 
sensitive items of electronic countermeasures equipment, such as the 
ICS and EWWS sets.  In their place, provisions were made for the 
installation of a Japanese-built radar warning system.  Among the 
indigenous equipment fitted to the JASDF F-15J and F-15DJ aircraft is 
the J/ALQ-8 ECM suite and the XJ/APQ-1 radar warning system.  Nuclear 
delivery equipment was omitted, data links were installed and MER-200P 
bomb racks were provided.  

The first two F-15Js were built by McDonnell (USAF serials 
79-0280/0281, JASDF serials 02-8801/8802.  02-8801 flew for the first 
time on June 4, 1980.  The next eight (JASDF serials 12-8803, 
22-8804/22-8810) were assembled by Mitsubishi from McDonnell-built 
knock-down kits.  The first Japanese-assembled F-15J (12-8803) flew at 
the Mitsubishi plant at Komaki on August 26, 1981.  

Twelve of the two seat F-15DJs were built by McDonnell Douglas, with 
the remainder being built by Mitsubishi.  

The service evaluation was carried out by the Koku Jikkendan (Air 
Proving Wing) at Gifu AB on Honshu.  The first front-line JASDF Eagle 
squadron was 202 Hikotai (Squadron) of 5 Kokudan (Air Wing), based at 
Nyutabaru on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.  It received its 
first Eagles in 1981-82, replacing the units F-104J Starfighters.  202 
Hikotai acted as the OCU for the remainder of the squadrons that were 
to receive the Eagle.  In 1986/87, Eagles began to replace the F-4EJ
in JASDF service, the first unit to convert being 303 Hikotai at
Komatsu. 

The following JASDF units have received the F-15J and F-15DJ:  

201 Hikotai of 2 Kokudan based at Chitose 
	received Eagle in 1986, replacing F-104J
202 Hikotai of 5 Kokudan based at Nyutabaru 
	received Eagle in 1981, replacing F-104J 
203 Hikotai of 2 Kokudan based at Chitose 
	received Eagle in 1983, replacing F-104J 
204 Hikotai of Kokudan based at Hyakuri 
	received Eagle in 1984, replacing F-104J  
303 Hikotai of 6 Kokudan based at Komatsu 
	received Eagle in 1986/87, replacing F-4EJ 
304 Hikotai of 8 Kokudan based at Tsuiki 
	received Eagle in 1990, replacing F-4EJ 
305 Hikotai of 7 Kokudan based at Hyakuri 
	received Eagle in 1993, replacing F-4EJ 

In addition, 6 F-15DJs were assigned to the Hiko Kyodotai, an 
aggressor squadron based at Nyutabaru.  Problems with the Mitsubishi 
T-2's low power and excessively-high accident rate led to a decision 
to adopt the F-15DJ for the agressor squadron.  

JASDF Eagles were initially powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 
turbofans.  From 1991, these have gradually been replaced by 
F100-PW-220s, which are more reliable but slightly lower-rated.  

A total of 177 F-15Js and F-15DJs have been built by Mitsubishi, 
bringing total procurement to 191.  

The JASDF has a complicated six-digit serial system.  The first digit 
corresponds to the last digit in the procurement year (0 = 1980, 1 = 
1981, etc), the second the basic class of aircraft (2 = 
multi-engined), the third the basic role (8 = all-weather fighter), 
and the last three digits the individual aircraft number in sequence.  

JASDF serials of F-15J

02-8801/8802		McDonnell Douglas F-15J-24-MC Eagle
				Built by McDonnell Douglas as 79-0280/0281
12-8803			McDonnell Douglas F-15J-24-MC Eagle
				Built by McDonnell Douglas but assembled
					by Mitsubishi
22-8804/8806		McDonnell Douglas F-15J-24-MC Eagle
				Built by McDonnell Douglas but assembled
					by Mitsubishi
22-8807/8810		McDonnell Douglas F-15J-25-MC Eagle
				Built by McDonnell Douglas but assembled
					by Mitsubishi
22-8811/8815		McDonnell Douglas F-15J Eagle
				Built by Mitsubishi
32-8816/8827		McDonnell Douglas F-15J Eagle
				Built by Mitsubishi
42-8828/8844		McDonnell Douglas F-15J Eagle
				Built by Mitsubishi
52-8845/8863		McDonnell Douglas F-15J Eagle
				Built by Mitsubishi
62-8864/8878		McDonnell Douglas F-15J Eagle
				Built by Mitsubishi
72-8879/8895		McDonnell Douglas F-15J Eagle
				Built by Mitsubishi
82-8896/8905		McDonnell Douglas F-15J Eagle
				Built by Mitsubishi
			plus others

JASDF serials of F-15DJ

12-8051/8054		McDonnell Douglas F-15DJ-26-MC Eagle 
				built by McDonnell Douglas as 79-0282/0285
22-8055/8056		McDonnell Douglas F-15DJ-29-MC Eagle 
				built by McDonnell Douglas as 79-0286/0287
32-8057/8058 		McDonnell Douglas F-15DJ-32-MC Eagle 
				Built by McDonnell Douglas as 81-0068/0069
?2-8059/8060 		McDonnell Douglas F-15DJ-33-MC Eagle 
				Built by McDonnell Douglas as 81-0070/0071
?2-8061/8062		McDonnell Douglas F-15DJ-36-MC Eagle 
				Built by McDonnell Douglas as 83-0052/0053
82-8063/0066		McDonnell Douglas F-15DJ Eagle
				Built by Mitsubishi
			plus others

Anyone have any later JASDF serial number information?

Sources:

   McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920, Volume II, Rene J.
   Francillon, Naval Institute Press, 1990.

   Combat Aircraft F-15, Michael J. Gething and Paul Crickmore,
   Crescent Books, 1992.
   
   The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, 
   Orion, 1987.

   The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft, Gallery Books, 1989. 

   F-15 Eagle, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Volume 9,
   Summer 1992.


Joe Baugher			  **************************************
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