Metabaru Air Field (目達原飛行場 (Metabaru Hikōjō))

Summary

Operating Country 🇯🇵 Japan
Location 🇯🇵 Japan
Status Active
UsageMilitary only
Year built1943
Operating OrganizationJapan Ground Self-Defense Force
Units
  • 4th Air Corps
  • 4th Squadron
  • Western Air Corps
  • Western Helicopter Squadron
  • 3rd Anti-Tank Helicopter Squadron

Description

Metabaru Air Field is a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) aerodrome located at JGSDF Camp Metabaru in Yoshinogari, Saga Prefecture. The facility was established in 1943 as a branch of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service Tachiarai Training School, where it functioned as a training site for pilots assigned to Special Attack Units. Following the establishment of the JGSDF, the location became a supply depot in 1954. The 4th Air Corps relocated to the base from Ozuki Garrison in 1956 and was subsequently redesignated as the 4th Squadron, a subordinate unit of the Western Air Corps, in 1962.

Current operations at the installation are conducted by the Western Helicopter Squadron, established in 1968, and the 3rd Anti-Tank Helicopter Squadron, established in 1990. The 3rd Anti-Tank Helicopter Squadron operates AH-64D Apache helicopters, which were introduced to the unit in 2010.

In February 2018, an AH-64D Apache based at Metabaru crashed in a residential area of Kanzaki, Saga. The incident resulted in the fatalities of both crew members, an injury to a civilian, and the destruction of a residential structure.

Location & Details

Map of Metabaru Air Field
Coordinates33.3253°N, 130.4136°E
Elevation16 m (52 ft)
ICAO codeRJDM
Runways
  • 04/22 [Paved]
Wikipedia and other open sources. Last updated on 12 January 2026