Komaki Air Base Open Base

Feb 20, 2018

Do you know how it feels to perform death defying stunts in the air, to have the power of some of the world’s most sophisticated artillery at your finger tips, to have the wind rushing through your hair? Well the brave men and women of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force certainly do, and this March gives you an excellent opportunity to get up close and personal with the very aircraft that they control.

Komaki Air Base (also known as Nagoya Airfield, confusingly) hit national headlines in late 2015 when it was the location for the Maiden MRJ flight, but all year round it acts as a military base, and March 3, 2018 it will be open to the public for the Komaki Air Base Open Day.

From 9 am to 3 pm you can see a variety of aircraft, helicopters and Japan Air Self-Defense Force equipment. As well as these static aircraft there will be dramatic exhibition flights and displays highlighting the rescue and disaster relief activities of the JASDF, plus security dog training exhibitions and an apperarance from the Okazaki Firefighters, with their ‘Red Salamander’ fire engines.

As Komaki Air Base is the only Japanese home to the C-130 Hercules and the Boeing KC-767 refueling jet, you can expect big crowds drawn to these rarities, however the biggest excitement of the day will be for the acrobatic demonstrations of the Blue Impulse. Watch with your heart in your mouth as they perform gravity-defying stunts at great speed in their Kawasaki T-4s.

Of course, there will be all of the usual food and drink stalls, live band performances and there are also further attractions for the kids, such as inflatables, a rope ladder experience, control simulators and many more.

2018 Schedule

9: 00 – 9: 45 Opening Flight
10: 00 – 11: 30 Disaster Dispatch Demonstration
12: 30 – 13: 00 Blue Impulse

*At the time of publishing, the official schedule has not yet been announced. However, the schedule for 2016 and 2017 has been the same, so we do not expect it to differ too much from the above.