The United States and Japan should consider making Yokota Air Base, northwest of Tokyo, open for civilian aviation, while still preserving its military readiness and enhancing its capacity for military operations, according to a new report by the Center for a New American Security. Utilizing the base, which is home to the 374th Airlift Wing, in a dual role could lead to new infrastructure development, help to solve airport shortage issues for the Japanese, and potentially open the door for expanding US military access to civilian aviation facilities across Japan, states the report, issued on Oct. 24. A “dispersed approach to military operations is well suited to current security challenges and could effectively serve the interests of both allies,” write the study authors. Further, it would set a “valuable precedent” for other bases in the Asia-Pacific region, they assert.
The F-47 fighter will be run differently than previous fighter programs and share the same mission systems architecture as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. That means advances in one will fuel advances in the other.