Japan is expected to procure the Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft following an announcement by the country’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 21 November 2014.
The expected acquisition of the E-2D, which has still to be approved by the US Congress, was part of an announcement made by the MoD regarding a package of materiel that Japan is expected to procure from its long-time ally. This also includes Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotors and Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk UAVs.
Tokyo has had a requirement for additional AEW aircraft to supplement its existing fleet of 13 E-2C