| Mine Countermeasures Helicopter Squadron 111 | |
|---|---|
| 第111航空隊 | |
.jpg) 111 Squadron MCH-101 | |
| Active | February 16, 1974 - present |
| Country |  Japan |
| Allegiance | Fleet Air Force |
| Branch |  Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Multirole helicopter | MCH-101 |
Mine Countermeasures Helicopter Squadron 111 (第111航空隊, dai-111-koukuutai) is a squadron of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It operates MCH-101 aircraft.
As of 2016 there were seven MCH-101 aircraft in service with the squadron and plans for a total of 11. There were also discussions for the purchase for over a dozen additional aircraft.
History
Two retired MH-53E helicopters of the squadron were sold to the US in 2015 for their components. The US was running short of parts for its own fleet of the aging aircraft.
Current aircraft
- 10 AgustaWestland MCH-101 helicopters (2008–present)
Aircraft operated
- KV-107II-3/KV-107IIA-3 (1974-1990)
- Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon (1990-2017)
References
- Thompson, Paul (September 1, 2017). "JMSDF Order of Battle". J-HangarSpace. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- "航空機". Ministry of Defense (Japan). Retrieved October 13, 2017. (in Japanese)
- "Japan eyeing fresh order of AW101 helicopters". flightglobal.com. June 22, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- Hixenbaugh, Mike (May 28, 2015). "U.S. Navy buys old helicopters from Japan for spare parts". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- "U.S. to buy parts for MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopters from Japan". Reuters. May 28, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- Defence of Japan 2022 (Annual White Paper). p.53. Japan Ministry of Defence