Until now, the JASDF as the aircraft operator and the Japanese government have not provided more detailed information regarding the disaster. Then, what happened?
On January 31, 2022, a tandem-seat version of the F-15DJ took off at 17:30 local time from Komatsu Air Base located in Ishikawa Prefecture. Shortly after takeoff, the ground crew of the JASDF lost contact with the fighter jet. Because the plane in question did not give any news, the JASDF then determined that the F-15DJ had an accident.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) said at the time that the plane disappeared from radar after flying 3 miles from the base. From the report, there is nothing strange. But the Kanazawa Coast Guard report made TS a little confused, and in the end, it turned out to be a bit of a mystery.
What caught TS's attention and was not widely discussed by some media was the appearance of a red light off the coast of Kaga near Komatsu Air Base. At the time of the disappearance of F015DJ, the Kanazawa Coast Guard said it had received a call around the same time (17:30), reporting a red light near the JASDF base. Whether the red light is referred to in the report is not detailed further.
There was a lot of speculation circulating among Kaskuser when I posted the thread on the disappearance of the F-15DJ, the most extreme of which was that the plane was hit by a Chinese laser attack due to the impact of electronic warfare. But in my opinion, it seems impossible to happen. The biggest possibility of the appearance of the red light was because the plane exploded when it fell into the sea or because the plane caught fire while in the air.
But to be honest the Kanazawa Coast Guard report is ambiguous and confusing, because the red light in question may not have come from the F-15DJ aircraft. Although what was reported by the Kanazawa Coast Guard has been published in a Kyodo News article, until now there has been no further development from the statement from the coast guard.
Shortly after the F-15DJ was reported missing, the JASDF immediately launched a search operation for the aircraft by sending a rescue team consisting of four aircraft to find the two pilots. The body of the first pilot was later found on Friday (11/02/2022) while the body of the second pilot was found on Sunday (13/02/2022). Along with the discovery of the bodies of the two pilots, the rescue team also found debris from the fuselage.
Citing the stripes.com article, the pilots who died on behalf of Koji Tanaka (52 years) and Captain Ryusei Ueta (33 years). Both served in the Air Tactics Development Wing Tactical which is part of the Fighter Training Group at Komatsu Air Base.
The fighter aircraft and its two crew members are heading for regular combat exercises over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, according to a JASDF spokesman. The aircraft in question acted as an "aggressor" (enemy fighter aircraft) to train the younger Japanese pilots, so they could experience what it was like to face enemy aircraft simulated by the pilots of the aggressor unit. Interestingly, even though the F-15DJ had an accident, the JASDF refused to ground its entire F-15 fleet at that time.
The accident that befell the F-15DJ also shows how old the aircraft is, this aircraft was assembled locally by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) from 1980 to 1997. A total of nearly 200 aircraft that had been successfully built at that time, the F-15J (single seater) and F-15DJ (double seater) were downgraded versions of the F-15C/D Eagle made by McDonnel Douglas at that time. The Americans did not provide the key technology from the F-15 to Japan, thus making the MHI-made F-15 capable under the F-15C/D variant. During its development, Japan also began to upgrade its F-15J and later known as the F-15J Kai.
Before the January 31, 2022 crash, in July 2011 an F-15 flying from Naha Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture crashed during a training flight over the East China Sea, killing the pilot. Then in September 2008, an F-15 flying from Tsuiki Air Base in Fukuoka Prefecture crashed into the Sea of Japan near Yamaguchi Prefecture, no one was injured in this incident.
Long ago Japan wanted to sell their entire fleet of F-15Js to the US in 2018 and hoped they would sell them to third-world countries. But it was later canceled, in 2019 Japan decided to do it
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