E-2C Goes to South: from Misawa to Naha to counter with Chinese threats

compiled from report by the Sankei Shimbun, 25 November 2014 and others

Air Self-Defense Force's E-2C

In last April, a ‘moving’ took place from Misawa Airbase , Aomori to Naha Base, Okinawa of Air Self Defense Force (ASDF).  Four E-2Cs airborne early warning  originally stationed in Misawa flew to Naha to inaugurate the 603rd early-warning squadron.

The new 603rd squadron could not be born without the China.

On December 13, 2012, a Chinese Y-12 turboprop belonging to Chinese National Oceanic Administration violated the Japanese air space nearby Senkaku Islands. However, ASDF’s ground-based radars could not detect this small utility aircraft. It was after being told by a patrol craft of Japan Coast Guard when ASDF launched  F-15s and E-2C for intercepting. It was a big shame for the officials of Japanese air force that they could not tolerate.

Some E-2Cs were stationed at Naha on rotation basis as Tokyo previously declared ‘nationalization’ of the islands in September of that year but the case called for a need to beef up air defense in the south.  E-767 AWACS were sent from Hamamatsu, central Japan to Okinawa for air space watch and surveillance.

Before and after 2012, the frequency of air scrambling was greatly changed: what it used to be around 20 cases in a year was increased to around 250 in 2012 alone. Tension around southwest of Japan has been constantly running higher by such incidents as more Chinese flights in the area, sometimes too close flying to Japanese military aircraft as well as Beijing’s announcement to impose Air Defense Identification Zone that covers the islands. Then, the 603rd was born with 4 E-2Cs.

E-2C is called airborne radar site as it can detect and track many bogies and send locations of them to ground stations and flying friendly aircraft. Also, it can be airborne faster than E-767 AWACS.

It was 1983 when ASDF took delivery of E-2C; it was after another disturbing event happened to Air Force.  That event was when a MiG-25 landed forcibly on Hakodate Airport as the pilot, Viktor Belenko attempted defection to the west. ASDF chased the aircraft but missed before it landed as ground based radars were not able to detect a low flying beyond the horizon. Then it was decided to acquire E-2C to fill in the gap of this radar detection.

During the previous cold war days, E-2Cs were stationed in the north to watch for Russians and now they are in Okinawa to watch the southern sky indicating a change of threats to Japan today.

Japan recently decided to purchase E-2D Advanced Hawkeye to replace E-2C.