Responsible for airborne search and rescue, it is headquartered at Iruma Air Base in Saitama Prefecture and controls squadrons and detachments across Japan.

[1] The helicopter airlift squadrons were previously under the authority of Air Support Command.

In June 2017 UH-60JA aircraft of the wing practiced night air-to-air refueling with US forces.

[6][7][8] On October 17, 2017 a JASDF UH-60J of the Hamamatsu Detachment of the Air Rescue Wing crashed into the sea off Shizuoka Prefecture while conducting night rescue drills.

[9][10] On June 11, 2018 the Naha Detachment rescued the pilot of another US F-15C of the 44th Fighter Squadron that had ejected over the sea off Okinawa.