2012-09-22

Air Defense Around Japan Getting Hot

Japan’s Forces Must Watch North and South : AWACS for Chinese Navy, Alert for Russian Recon Planes


from MSN SANKEI webnews 2012.9.21 01:37

                    Japan Air Self Defense Force E-767 AWACS

Operations of two frigates of Chinese Navy was found in northern sea of Senkaku Islands, Okinawa Prefecture on September 20; it was the first sight of Chinese warships at the subject sea area after the Government of Japan purchased the islands from a Japanese national.

Japan Air Self Defense Force flew AWACS E-767s to watch around the islands as a countermeasure of higher alert. On the same day, it was detected in the Sea of Japan of two aircraft including reconnaissance plane of Russia that approached to Japan’s airspace. Japan’s self-defense forces are forced to operate in two fronts.

Government officials in Tokyo confirmed detection of the two frigates at the northern sea of Senkaku Islands from 19th to 20th September and the two ships have not entered neither contiguous zone nor territorial water.

Maritime Self Defense Force has been patrolling by P-3C flight once a day around the Senkakus. This time, the government has increased its presence by mobilizing AWACS E-767s and E-2Cs as well as OP-3,converted P-3C for graphic intelligence gathering around the Senkakus for watching Chinese maritime patrol vessels and aircraft at the area.

OP-3 is capable to watch the sea area from higher altitude than P-3Cs. Although designed to detect aircraft, E-2C can find approaching large-type vessels. AWACS E-767 is more versatile by gathering and organizing data from OP-3 and E-2C for sharing information serving as a relay station.

              OP-3C of Maritime Self Defense Force

Two Russian aircraft that approached to Japan’s airspace were identified as an Il-20 electronic reconnaissance and a Su-24 tactical reconnaissance aircraft. They repeated come and go to approach to Japan’s airspace while circling on the Sea of Japan.
 
This simultaneous provocative presence around Japan by China and Russia did take place immediately after the 3/11 earthquake-tsunami of 2011 that jolted eastern part of Japan. While Japan-US forces were tied up with relief operations at that time, China intentionally neared its aircraft belonging to national maritime bureau to a destroyer of Japan; Russia flew its Il-20 so close to Japanese territory.