NOVEMBER 24, 2025 — Before the first aircraft departs the runway, another mission is already underway. At first light, the Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) team begins their patrols, headlights sweeping across the perimeter road as they scan the horizon. Their task is not widely known, but ever so important: keep the skies clear so every takeoff and landing can happen safely.
“Safety is priority,” said Edward Hosack, the BASH team supervisor for Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. “Everything we do, every patrol, every action, is about protecting personnel and air assets. If we’re doing our job right, you don’t notice us at all.”
The risks they manage are constant and ever-changing. Bird strikes have been a challenge for aviators since the earliest days of flight, and MCAS Iwakuni is no exception. Since 2017, strikes here have caused more than $20 million in damage, including more than $19 million from a single F-35B Lightning aircraft incident in 2019. That event became a turning point for the program, driving a shift from simply reacting to hazards to actively preventing them before an aircraft leaves the ground.
The most persistent offenders among the wildlife are the birds known as Black Kites. They soar in wide circles over the area and swoop across the approach path at altitudes where aircraft climb or descend. Another type of bird, known as ospreys, are even more stubborn, often returning to the same perches despite repeated dispersal attempts. Seasonal patterns complicate the picture further: Spot-Billed Ducks gather in low-lying drainage areas after rainstorms, and migratory cormorants pass overhead in dense flocks during spring and fall migrations. The team has learned to predict these cycles, stepping up patrols when bird activity surges.
“These aren’t just birds. At 200 knots, they become dangerous projectiles,” said Jerron Johnson, the MCAS Iwakuni assistant airfield manager. “If we don’t deal with them, we can’t fly.”
From 0600 to 2100 each day, overlapping BASH shifts ensure the airfield is never left unprotected. Each patrol begins with a detailed sweep of the airfield and its surrounding habitat, where birds may forage and/or gather. Their goal is not just to respond to activity, but also to make the entire airfield less attractive to birds in the first place.
When hazards are detected, the team escalates their deterrence in measured steps. Propane-powered cannons fire from fixed points along the airfield, and speakers broadcast alarm calls to move flocks away from the flight path. If the birds linger, various pyrotechnics whistle and crack across the sky to push them off the approach and departure corridors. All of these measures share the same goal: to make the airfield uncomfortable and unattractive to wildlife before they become a danger. If those deterrents aren’t enough, the team escalates to their final measure: depredation.
Depredation refers to the deliberate removal of birds that pose an immediate and unmanageable danger to flight operations. Unlike deterrent methods designed to scatter or discourage wildlife, depredation is a controlled action carried out only when all other measures have failed, and the hazard remains. For the BASH team, Depredation is always the last resort, used only when birds present a direct and immediate hazard to flight operations, such as circling directly over approach paths, refusing to disperse after multiple deterrent attempts. The process is coordinated with air traffic control to ensure safety across the airfield, and every instance is carefully documented for accountability.
“We stay moving,” Hosack explained. “If you sit still, you’re not doing anything. Active patrolling is the key. Keep pushing them out, keep them from getting comfortable. That’s how you get to zero damaging strikes.”
Modern technology strengthens that process. Thermal and digital night vision equipment lets the team detect birds and animals in low light, while thermal optics allow them to respond safely from a distance when direct intervention is unavoidable. Every sighting, event, and strike is logged, allowing the team to see not just what is happening but when and where it is most likely to happen again. Over time, this data has revealed clear trends: Black Kite activity peaks during early morning hours, Cormorant flocks surge after typhoon season as waterways refill, and certain parts of the airfield become hotspots depending on grass height and weather patterns.
This combination of data, technology, and constant movement has transformed the station’s risk profile. The results are not only remarkable but measurable: since introducing updated patrol patterns and equipment upgrades in 2022, MCAS Iwakuni has gone two and a half consecutive years without a single damaging bird strike, the lowest strike risk on record.
That success is shared with more than just Marine aviators. MCAS Iwakuni is a joint-use airfield, which means the BASH team also protects thousands of civilian passengers traveling on All Nippon Airways flights each month. Real-time bird watch — condition reports rated low, moderate, or severe — are sent directly to air traffic control, allowing flights to be delayed, adjusted, or cleared based on the team’s assessment of the risk to the aircraft.
The program is preparing to take another step forward by planning and researching the possible integration of Differential Target Antenna Coupling radar, a ground-based avian detection system capable of tracking birds more than two kilometers away. The radar will provide real-time altitude, range, and flight path data, giving BASH operators and air traffic controllers earlier warnings and more time to act before aircraft reach high-risk airspace. This new capability will allow the team to predict hazards farther out and coordinate deterrence efforts before birds even approach the runway.
Hosack, who is currently completing a degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation through Oregon State University, says he applies what he learns in class directly to the air station. “We study everything from migratory patterns to habitat management, and I bring that knowledge straight back to the field,” he said. “The birds aren’t going to stop coming, so neither can we.”
Though their work is rarely seen, its impact is measured every time a jet launches safely or when a transport touches down without incident. “Most of what we do, nobody ever sees,” said Hosack. Their mission is simple: keep the runways clear and incident free.
Story by Sgt. Randall Whiteman
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni