I rarely do requests but when a user pointed out to me that I somehow missed that this paint scheme wasn’t painted on a Kai model, I knew I had to make this, the 60th anniversary scheme of the JASDF ADTW. So here is another F-4EJ 8K DDSskin for ya’ll to play with, enjoy!

The aircraft
47-8336 is another EJ with a colorful yet unique history. Part of the second order placed in 1971, the aircraft was delivered in 1971 as the second airframe of that order.

Although I couldn’t find much of the first ten years of its service, in November of 1984, the aircraft was seen flying with the 304th fighter squadron, and was even sporting a dark grey camouflage at various moments between ’84 and ’86 which was rather uncommon for the day. By 1989 the aircraft was flying with the 306th at Komatsu, and by 1995 the aircraft was spotted wearing markings of the 302nd Fighter Squadron. By 2005 however the aircraft was spotted in service somewhere else entirely, the Air Development and Test Wing (飛行開発実験団) at Gifu air base.

Despite being part of ADTW, 8336 has mostly worn a basic, overall grey paint scheme like most other F-4EJ’s in service with the JASDF. In October 2015 that changed when the aircraft received a special paint scheme to celebrate the 60th birthday of the ADTW. Painted in full black with gold accents, the aircraft was an unique sight to behold as the gold paint would reflect differently to the light of the sun depending on the time of day. Sadly the paint scheme was shortlived and barely 6 months later the aircraft was back to its original ADTW color scheme which it still sports to this day. Despite that the aircraft has been active for all these years, it has seemingly never received the kai update as it still sports the old style tail and EJ nose cone.

The Air Development and Test Wing with the JASDF
Originally formed on the first of December 1955 at Hamamatsu airbase in Shizuoka prefecture, the program called 実験航空隊 (roughly translated as experiment Air Corps). It carried the main duties of conducting tests and evaluate new aircraft and weapon system prototypes, as well as training new test pilots. Soon after on the 31st March, 1957, ADTW moved its base of operations from Hamamatsu to Gifu air base.

On the 11th of April, 1979, the program was renamed as the 航空実験団 (roughly translated as Experimental Aviation Group). Despite the name change the mission remained the same and the program retained this name until the 16th of March 1989. That same year the program was re-organized due to the large-scale reorganization of the JASDF in 1989. In December of that year the program also received their first F-4EJ and the program was renamed to Air Development and Test Wing, the name it retains to this day.

Over the years the ADTW usually operated at least one of each mayor active aircraft type in service with the JASDF. In case that test or evaluations needed to be run on aircraft of which the JASDF only had limited numbers at its disposal (f.e. the Boeing E-767), a team of specialized test pilots and crew would be formed and send to the base of operations were the aircraft is active.