78th Aviation Battalion
The 78th Aviation Battalion located at Camp Zama, Japan originated in Yokohama as part of a small flight detachment of Army Forces Far East in January 1953. The unit was known as the U.S. Army Aviation Detachment, Japan until 1986 when it was redesignated as 78th Aviation Battalion (Provisional). The crewmembers of this unit are well experienced and diversified with previous assignments covering the globe from Europe, to Central America, North America, Asia, to the Middle East. Combat experience includes campaigns in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, Somalia, and Bosnia.
The 78th Aviation Battalion is self supporting with their own instructor pilots, instrument examiners, and maintenance test pilots. An operational air traffic control tower controls Kastner Army Airfield at Camp Zama, as well as landing sites throughout the Kanto Plain. Alpha Company is the flight company and supports a wide variety of missions. Delta Company provides unit and intermediate level maintenance on the aircraft, as well as limited depot level maintenance with DynCorp contractors. The Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment provides airfield support services, such as flight operations, POL, ATC, and airfield maintenance.
Soldiers assigned to the only Army aviation element in Japan, the 78th Aviation Battalion, fly missions across the island and elsewhere in the Pacific Theater. The unit has fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and is the only Army unit in the Pacific that has jets. One C-12 and two UC-35s are attached from the Korea-based 17th Avn. Brigade to round out the outfit. Black Hawks are the only Army helicopters permanently based in Japan - should other types be needed, they would come from Hawaii, Alaska or Korea. It is a small battalion - 100 people compared to an attack battalion that typically has 250. Yet the unit supports all USARJ elements, and others within the Defense Department as tasked by USARJ.
The primary mission of the 78th Aviation Battalion is to provide aviation support to United States Army Japan and all U.S. Forces in Japan. The unit theater of operations is Southeast Asia, to include Philippines, Guam, the Republic of Korea, and Okinawa. This is accomplished with six UH-60 "Blackhawks," 2 UC-35 airplanes, and one C-12J airplane. C-12/UC35 Aircraft provide Operational Support Aircraft (OSA) support for Japan, Okinawa, Korea and the Asian Pacific Theater. UH-60 Aircraft provide Operational Support Aircraft and Mission Support for Japan, and limited support for Okinawa. While flying a variety of aircraft, the unit continues to provide routine passenger transportation, disaster relief, cargo and patient transfer as it did over 40 years ago when it started as that small flight detachment in Yokohama.
The daily support mission includes: Support bilateral engagement; Provides tactical rotary wing support to combat forces training in Japan; Provides Army aviation administration and medical transportation support to USARJ, and other military services, agencies, and DOD activities; Provides Aviation Unit and Intermediate Maintenance (AVUM/AVIM) support for all Army aircraft in Japan IAW AR 750-1; Commands Kastner Army Airfield, provides base operations control tower, and is responsible for aircraft maintenance, fueling, crash rescue, search/rescue, unit security, and firefighting operations; and provides fixed-wing Operational Support Airlift (OSA) in Western Asia.
The battalion also supports air-assault operations, inserting and extracting U.S. soldiers and marines stationed on Okinawa and in the Philippines and supports special forces operations. Should there be casualties as a result of medical emergency or natural disaster, the 78th would transport patients. While the unit is not a medical assistance to safety and traffic unit that primarily transports soldiers and family members facing medical emergencies, it does perform urgent transports. Two flight crews are on 12-hour rotating shifts to ensure emergency transportation is always available.
