Naval Air Facility Atsugi

NAF Atsugi
厚木海軍飛行場 (Atsugi Kaigun-hikōjō)
Ayase, Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan
Aerial view of NAF Atsugi during 2007
NAF Atsugi Location in Japan
Coordinates	35°27′17″N 139°27′00″E / 35.45472°N 139.45000°E / 35.45472; 139.45000
Type	Joint Japanese and United States air base
Site information
Owner	Government of Japan
Operator	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) US Navy (USN)
Controlled by	Fleet Air Force (JMSDF) Navy Region Japan (USN)
Condition	Operational
Website	Official website
Site history
Built	1938 (1938)
In use	1938 – present
Garrison information
Current commander	Captain Manning Montagnet (USN)
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: NJA, ICAO: RJTA, WMO: 476790
Elevation	62.4 metres (205 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 01/19 2,438 metres (7,999 ft) Concrete
Source: Japanese AIP at AIS Japan[1]

Naval Air Facility Atsugi (厚木海軍飛行場, Atsugi Kaigun-hikōjō) (IATA: NJA, ICAO: RJTA) is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase in Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean, and once housed the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), which deploys with the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.^[2]

During 2017 and 2018 the fixed-wing aircraft of CVW-5 relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in western Japan.

CVW-5 shares the base with the Headquarters Fleet Air Force, and Fleet Air Wing 4 of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). NAF Atsugi is also home to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 51 (HSM-51), which provides detachments of MH-60R helicopters to forward deployed U.S. Navy guided missile cruisers, guided missile destroyers, and frigates homeported at the nearby Yokosuka Naval Base. Service members stationed at Atsugi also work in conjunction with the former Kamiseya Naval Radio Receiving Facility.

Despite its name, the base is 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) east northeast^[1] from the city of Atsugi, and is not adjacent to the city.