{"id":63877,"date":"2026-03-10T21:30:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T20:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=63877"},"modified":"2026-03-17T22:10:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:10:51","slug":"japan-shows-the-e-2-hawkeye-aircraft-from-misawa-the-bats-of-its-air-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/03\/10\/japan-shows-the-e-2-hawkeye-aircraft-from-misawa-the-bats-of-its-air-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan shows the E-2 Hawkeye aircraft from Misawa, the bats of its Air Force"},"content":{"rendered":"

Japan has a very good Air Force, with modern fighter jets and also a good fleet of flying radars.<\/p>\n

An exhibition of the F-2 Viper Zero, the Japanese fighter that looks like an F-16 but isn't<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe impressive formation of Japanese F-35 fighters at the Misawa Airshow<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JSADF) has three early warning aircraft squadrons.<\/strong> Squadron 602, based in Hamamatsu, operates four Boeing E-767s<\/a>, making Japan the only operator of this AWACS based on the Boeing 767 commercial airliner. In addition, Squadrons 601 (based in Misawa) and 603 (based in Naha) operate<\/strong> E-2C Hawkeye and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft<\/a>. <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
An E-2C Hawkeye, the 463rd (44-3462), of the 601st Squadron of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Image: \u822a\u7a7a\u81ea\u885b\u968a\u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb<\/a>).<\/div>\n

In total, the JASDF has 16 Hawkeyes<\/strong>, 10 E-2Cs and 6 E-2Ds. Both models are distributed between the two squadrons that operate this type of aircraft, a flying radar created in the 1960s for the US Navy<\/strong> and whose power plant consists of two Allison\/Rolls-Royce T56-A-427 (E-2C) and T56-A-427A (E-2D) turboprop engines.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, the 477th (41-3477), of the 601st Squadron of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Image: \u822a\u7a7a\u81ea\u885b\u968a\u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb<\/a>).<\/div>\n

The E-2 Hawkeye carries a crew of five:<\/strong> the pilot, the co-pilot, a radar operator, a combat information center operator, and an aircraft control operator. Interestingly, Japan requested that its E-2s be equipped with a toilet and microwave<\/a> oven to make the often lengthy missions these early warning aircraft undertake more bearable.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
All Japanese Hawkeyes bear an emblem featuring a bat holding two lightning bolts (Image: \u822a\u7a7a\u81ea\u885b\u968a\u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Today the JASDF released a very good video showcasing the E-2C and E-2D aircraft of the 601 Squadron at Misawa.<\/strong> The aircraft of the 601 and 603 Squadrons are identified by an emblem indicating their common origin (as the 603 Squadron evolved from the 601): a bat holding two lightning bolts in its talons<\/strong>. This is a fitting symbol for this aircraft, as bats detect their prey using high-frequency ultrasound, a system very similar to the radio direction finding technology used by the AN\/ALQ-78 radar on these aircraft.<\/p>\n