Japanese Air Force Made 29% More Scramble Flights; 2.5 Times More for Chinese Aircraft in 2010

from Nihon Keizai Shimbun, April 28, 2011

Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff Council (JSC) released the number of scrambling by Japan Air Self Defense Force (JADSF) during fiscal 2010, April 2010-March 2011. The number for Chinese aircraft showed 2.5 times increase from the previous year by a total of 96 missions. Scrambling for Russian aircraft accounted for 68％ as the largest with 264 sorties or 34% increase. The statistics show the two countries were intensified for their intelligence and information gathering missions to Japan.
The total number of scrambling was 368 times in fiscal 2010, a 29% increase but there was no case of incursion to the Japanese airspace, according to JSC. A peak of the number of scrambling was recorded in 1984, in the midst of cold war, with 944 sorties, then it went down as low as 331 times in fiscal 1992.

The Russians carried out long distance flight along with the Japanese airspace from the Sea of Japan to the Pacific Ocean while the Chinese approached closer to the Senkaku Islands that Japan claims as its territory.

Since March 11 earthquake, JASDF still flew its interceptors to the approaching aircraft of the two countries: 14 sorties to the Russians and 4 times for the Chinese respectively.

Photo Ministry of Defense