Japan Orders 4 E-767 AWACS Radar & Mission Upgrade Kits for $147M

E-767 JASDF AWACS Airborne Warning and Control Systems

In May 2006, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan of four sets of Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and Command, Control and Communications (C3) mission equipment/Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) Group A and B kits, plus spares and services to ensure complete AWACS mission equipment supportability, for subsequent installation and checkout in 4 previously procured E-767 Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft. Boeing delivered the 4 AWACS E-767s to Japan between 1998-1999; they have been in service since 2000. The DSCA announcement placed the total purchase value as high as $147 million if all options are exercised, but the amount now seems higher. Boeing made a Nov 15/06 announcement re: a $108 million Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) contract for Japan's AWACS fleet, and now a DefenseLINK announcement adds more than $110 million…

The E-767 AWACS offers 50% more floor space, and nearly twice the volume, of the 707-based E-3 AWACS in service with other countries. While this volume is put to good use by the JASDF and the aircraft entered service in 1999, improvements are still possible to key systems as technology marches inexorably forward. RSIP increases the AWACS aircraft's radar sensitivity, allowing it to detect and track smaller targets. It also improves the radar's electronic counter-countermeasures, upgrades the existing computer with a new high-reliability multi-processor, and rewrites the software to improve the interface and facilitate future maintenance and enhancements. The Foreign Military Sale was contracted through the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA, and also includes spare and repair parts, support equipment and technical documentation. Installation of the kits will occur during a follow-on contract. The May 2006 DSCA announcement named the prime contractor as Boeing Aerospace Company in Seattle, WA, and placed the total value as high as $147 million if all options are exercised… but contracts issued since that request appear to offer a much higher ceiling. DID is investigating.