R-Area Air Force
| R-Area Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Active | from 28 August 1942 |
| Country | Empire of Japan |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Type | Naval aviation unit |
| Role | Seaplane |
| Part of | 8th Fleet |
| Garrison/HQ | Shortland Islands Rekata Bay |
| Aircraft flown | Mitsubishi F1M Nakajima A6M2-N Aichi E13A |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Takatsugu Jōjima Takeshi Horihashi Kaneshige Watanabe |
The R-Area Air Force (R方面航空部隊, R-Hōmen Kōkū Butai) was a unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the Pacific War that was involved in the Guadalcanal Campaign and Solomon Islands Campaign. The unit operated seaplanes with a primary mission to protect resupply convoys headed for Guadalcanal and to conduct aerial reconnaissance.