An e ample of an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. Photo c/o Northrop Grumman through Flight Global.









The Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) has received its first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft from US aerospace firm Northrop Grumman on 29 March 2019, the company announced recently.





The aircraft was the first of four units ordered in 2015 through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The rest of the aircraft will be delivered by Northrop Grumman between the end of 2019 to the end of 2020.





Twelve more units were ordered by the JASDF in 2018, as they plan to have them replace their fleet of aging E-2C Hawkeye acquired since 1983 and upgraded to Hawkeye 2000 standard in the last decade.





The new aircraft will also be serving alongside the larger Boeing E-767 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) platforms.





The Advanced Hawkeye was designed to extend the sensor coverage and facilitate coordination with other planes at long ranges. It is equipped with a 360-degree long-range radar, which is effective over open and littoral waters, and over land, and can detect, track, and identify air and surface targets and provide target identification.











