The Ministry of defense of Japan reported 10 Feb 2021 that the Japanese defence procurement Agency Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has given the Corporation Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) initial contract worth 15 billion yen (of 143.1 million dollars) for the beginning of the development programme for the air self-defense Force Japan new electronic warfare aircraft based on the new Japanese medium military transport aircraft Kawasaki C-2.
The design appearance of the new electronic warfare aircraft created by the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Corporation for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces Air Force on the basis of the new Japanese medium military transport aircraft Kawasaki C-2 (c) Kawasaki Heavy Industries
The total cost of the program for the creation of this EW aircraft is estimated by ATLA at 46.5 billion yen, excluding the construction of prototypes. The first 15 billion yen, for which the initial contract was signed, will be allocated to the defense budget for fiscal year 2020, and another 10 billion yen will be allocated to the defense budget for fiscal year 2021.
It is planned that at the first stage, two prototypes of the new EW aircraft will be manufactured, preliminary tests of which should be completed by the end of the 2026 fiscal year. Then two pre-production models will be built, and a full test program for all four aircraft should be legally available by fiscal year 2032.
The total number of planned aircraft of this type is not reported, but ATLA estimates the cost of one production aircraft at 48 billion yen ($460 million).
The new EW aircraft are to replace the current EW squadron of the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces Combat Training Wing at Iruma Air Base with one EU-1 aircraft (converted from a Kawasaki C-1 military transport aircraft) and two YS-11EA aircraft.
Earlier, under a contract with ATLA Corporation KHI, the RC-2 radio and radio intelligence aircraft was created on the basis of the Kawasaki C-2 military transport aircraft. The RC-2 prototype was converted from the second XC-2 flight prototype and began testing in 2018. In 2020, this aircraft was transferred to the radio intelligence squadron of the combat training wing of the Japan Self-Defense Forces Air Force at Iruma Air Base, but there is no information about further serial purchases.
To date, KHI has delivered 11 production C-2 military transport aircraft out of 15 contracted to the Japanese Ministry of Defense. In total, it is planned to purchase 40 production C-2 aircraft in the transport version.
