UH-1N
helicopter pilots at Yokota AB, Japan, recently hosted their Japanese Ground
Self Defense Force counterparts on a fly-along interoperability sortie.
"The objective for this is to help introduce [the JGSDF] to our procedures
and how we fly our helicopters and help us understand how they fly
theirs," said Capt. Thomas Powell, 459th Airlift Squadron operations boss
at Yokota, in a Feb. 5
release. JGSDF operates similar UH-1 helicopters from
neighboring Camp Higashi-Tachikawa, west of Tokyo. "The big thing is to
get the terminology correct between the two of us" in the event that the
neighboring units need to cooperate on disaster relief, humanitarian, or military
missions, Powell said. "For us, it was extremely helpful to have a clear
understanding of the tactics and equipment … and how they differ from
ours," said JGSDF pilot Capt. Fujimoto. A pair of USAF UH-1Ns demonstrated
various formations and maneuvers during the Jan. 29 sortie.
