The U.S. State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Japan of up to nine E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft for an estimated cost of $3.135 billion.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on Sept. 7, 2018.

As the largest Hawkeye operator outside of the U.S. Navy, Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) currently has 13 E-2C Hawkeye aircraft operating since 1983. E-2C is the older variant of the E-2D.

In 2014 , the Japan Ministry of Defense selected the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye to fulfill the nation’s airborne early warning requirements. Northrop Grumman began production of two aircraft in 2016 with the first one conducting maiden flight on Nov. 13 last year. The country has currently four aircraft on order.

In addition to the nine E-2D AHE aircraft, the approval is also for the sale of twenty eight T56-A-427A engines (18 installed and 10 spares), twelve Multifunction Information Distribution System/Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS/JTRS) terminals (9 installed and 3 spares), ten APY-9 Radars (9 installed and 1 spare), eleven AN/AYK-27 Integrated Navigation Control and Display Systems (INCDS) (9 installed and 2 spares), thirty LN-251 Embedded Global Positioning Systems/Inertial Navigation Systems (EGIs) with Embedded Airborne Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) Receiver (18 installed and 12 spares), and twelve AN/ALQ-217 Electronic Support Measures (ESM, 9 installed and 3 spares).

Also included are in the possible sale are: aircraft ancillary equipment, modifications, spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, software, personnel training and training equipment, ferry services, U.S. Government and contractor logistics, engineering, and technical support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support.

The statement from DSCA said that this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States. It added that Japan is one of the major political and economic powers in East Asia and the Western Pacific and is a key partner of the United States in ensuring peace and stability in that region and that is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Japan in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defense capability.

The proposed sale of E-2D AHE aircraft will improve Japan’s ability to effectively provide homeland defense utilizing an AEW&C capability. Japan will use the E-2D AHE aircraft to provide AEW&C situational awareness of air and naval activity in the Pacific region and augment its existing E-2C Hawkeye AEW&C fleet.

The principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman Corporation Aerospace Systems in Melbourne, Florida.

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the latest variant of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft.

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye features an entirely new avionics suite including the new AN/APY-9 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, radio suite, mission computer, integrated satellite communications, flight management system, improved T56-A-427A engines, a glass cockpit and, by 2020, aerial refueling capability.





