374th CES and U.S. Marines complete annual Aircraft Arresting System certification

  • Published
  • By Machiko Arita
  • 374th Airlift Wing public affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Airmen from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron and the 374th Operations Support Squadron completed an annual Aircraft Arresting System (AAS) certification with Marines deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, on January 6, 2023, at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Marines assigned to VMFA 312 provided several F/A-18C Hornet fighter aircraft and attached aircraft maintainer crews for the 374th Airlift Wing to conduct the certification.

An AAS can save lives in cases where a pilot is unable to stop their aircraft during landing. In those extreme cases, the arresting system initiates to also prevent any potential damage to the aircraft itself or other airfield equipment by stopping it on the runway.

The certification ensured the AAS system at Yokota Air Base was functioning properly, and enabled the base to sustain the ability to support U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter assets as the premiere airlift hub in the Indo-Pacific.