The military responded by scrambling fighter jets and issuing radio and flare warnings, Minoru Kihara told reporters.

“We confirmed today that a Russian Il-38 patrol aircraft has violated our airspace over our territorial waters north of Rebun Island, Hokkaido, on three occasions,” he said.

“The airspace violation is extremely regrettable and today we lodged a very serious protest with the Russian government via diplomatic channels and strongly urged them to prevent a recurrence.”

Top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi also said on Monday that “we will refrain from giving any definitive information on the intent and purpose of this action, but the Russian military has been active in the vicinity of our country since the invasion of Ukraine.”

Japan has supported the Western position on Ukraine, providing Kyiv with financial and material support and sanctioning Russian individuals and organizations after Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.

Kihara said the new incident was “the first publicly announced airspace incursion by a Russian aircraft since June 2019,” when a Tu-95 bomber entered Japanese airspace in southern Okinawa and around the Izu Islands south of Tokyo.

In 2023, an aircraft believed but not confirmed to be Russian entered Japanese airspace, according to the defense ministry.

The Japanese foreign ministry meanwhile said that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York, where both leaders are visiting for the UN General Assembly.

Zelensky thanked Kishida for his support since Russia’s invasion, especially as G7 chair last year, and conferred upon him a top Ukrainian order of merit, a readout said.

Earlier this month, Japan had to scramble fighter jets when Russian aircraft flew around the archipelago for the first time since 2019.

The Tu-142 planes did not enter Japanese airspace but flew over an area subject to a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia, Tokyo said.

Russian and Chinese warships recently held joint drills in the Sea of Japan, part of a major naval exercise that Russian President Vladimir Putin said was the largest of its kind for three decades.

Japan scrambled fighter jets in August after the first confirmed incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into its airspace, with Tokyo calling it a “serious violation” of its sovereignty.

Then last week, a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan for the first time. Japan called that incident “totally unacceptable from the perspective of the security environment of Japan and the region.”

China said the passage complied with international law.

The post Japan Protests Airspace ‘Violation’ by Russian Patrol Plane appeared first on The Defense Post.

Requested for fiscal year 2025, the initiative aims to advance plans to replace the service’s aging Lockheed EP-3 Orion fleet.

The new system is expected to boost the military’s signals, jamming, and support capabilities, matching the force’s effectiveness against modern electronic warfare threats.

The initial budget for Japan’s upcoming platform was revealed in 2023 at 14.1 billion yen ($98.1 million).

During the first funding request, the Japanese Ministry of Defense highlighted that the new fleet would be utilized for complex electromagnetic scenarios across multi-domain operations.

／
#１枚でわかる防衛省・自衛隊 ！
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第42回目は「電磁波領域の動向について」の第二弾です
防衛省では電磁波領域の優勢を確保するため、相手方のレーダー利用や通信を無効化する能力を有する装備品を整備するなど、電子戦能力の強化に取り組んでいます。#電磁波 #電子戦 https://t.co/cTSWv1Vn2c pic.twitter.com/mCbSrbNcZb

— 防衛省・自衛隊 (@ModJapan_jp) March 28, 2024

The P-1 Patrol Aircraft

The Kawasaki P-1 entered into service under the JMSDF in 2013. Unlike the military’s previous aircraft, the maritime patrol plane was purpose-built without other civilian counterparts.

The P-1 is operated by three pilots and up to an eight member mission crew. It measures 38 meters (125 feet) long and has a wingspan of 35 meters (115 meters).

Alongside its main electronic countermeasures, sonar, and radar suite, the platform can be armed with air-to-ground close support and air-to-surface anti-ship missiles, depth charges, mines, sonobuoys, and anti-submarine torpedoes.

The P-1 is equipped with four IHI F7 turbofan engines for a top speed of 996 kilometers (619 miles) per hour and a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles).

The plane has a maximum takeoff weight of 79,700 kilograms (175,708 pounds) and a service ceiling of 13,520 meters (44,357 feet).

Airborne Fleet Expansion in Japan

Japan’s P-1 development follows the US State Department’s $4.1 billion foreign military sale of KC-46A Pegasus tankers to the country in September.

American aerospace company Boeing received a contract one year earlier to equip advanced electronic warfare systems aboard Tokyo’s locally made F-15 Eagle fleet.

In May 2023, the US Special Operations Command announced a potential teaming strategy with the Japanese military to co-develop a C-130 transport aircraft in a maritime configuration.

The East Asian government awarded a separate contract to Boeing in December 2022 to produce two additional KC-46A refuelers.

The post Japan Announces More Funding for Next-Gen EW Aircraft Based on Kawasaki P-1 appeared first on The Defense Post.

“This is the first time that an aircraft carrier belonging to the Chinese Navy has been confirmed to have sailed through the waters between Yonaguni and Iriomote,” the defense ministry’s joint staff said in a statement.

The Liaoning carrier and “two Luyang III-class missile destroyers” were seen sailing southwards between the islands in southern Okinawa region from Tuesday to Wednesday, it said.

Public broadcaster NHK and other media, citing unnamed defense sources, reported that it was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered Japan’s contiguous waters.

Contiguous waters are a 12-nautical-mile band that extends beyond territorial waters. The ministry was unable to immediately confirm these news reports.

Taipei’s government also said a Chinese naval formation led by the Liaoning sailed through waters northeast of self-ruled Taiwan on Wednesday and continued towards Japan’s Yonaguni Island.

China’s growing economic and military clout in the Asia-Pacific region and its assertiveness in territorial disputes — most recently with the Philippines — has rattled the United States and its allies.

Tense incidents have involved Japanese and Chinese vessels in disputed areas, in particular the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, known by Beijing as the Diaoyus.

Tokyo has reported the presence of Chinese coastguard vessels, a naval ship and a nuclear-powered submarine around the remote chain of islets.

Japan this month voiced “strong concern and protest” when a Chinese naval ship entered its territorial waters.

In August, the Japanese government slammed the first confirmed incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into its airspace as a “serious violation” of its sovereignty.

Japan is ramping up its defense spending with US encouragement, moving to acquire counter-strike capabilities and easing rules on arms exports.

Tokyo is also providing funding and equipment such as patrol vessels to other countries in the region.

In July, Japan agreed on a deal with the Philippines allowing troop deployments on each other’s soil.

The post Chinese Navy Sailed Between Japanese Islands Near Taiwan: Tokyo appeared first on The Defense Post.

For four weeks, the Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft and its team will monitor suspected movements in violation of UN Security Council sanctions.

The sanctions, imposed since 2006, aim to suspend Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction programs, ballistic missile launches, and nuclear weapon tests that have been deemed a threat to the UN’s Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty.

Canada’s campaign will include surveillance of ship-to-ship fuel transfers and screening of commodities prohibited under the sanctions.

Ottawa’s detachment to Tokyo will involve about 50 personnel. Accompanying tasks will be facilitated from September to October 2024.

Operation NEON

The Canadian Department of Defence highlighted that the Aurora deployment will operate under Operation NEON, a defense initiative launched in 2019 to enhance “international peace and stabilization” across the Asia-Pacific in collaboration with the UN and other nations.

Alongside long-range patrol aircraft, NEON utilizes naval warships and supplies assets to portions of the region where sanctions evasion by Pyongyang is prominent, including the East China Sea.

Ottawa coordinated its latest CP-140 patrol mission with Japan for the same purpose in June 2024. To date, NEON has completed 12 sorties and 103 flight hours for the effort.

Potential Increase of AUKUS Members

Canada’s latest military effort with Japan follows the government’s announcement of intent to join AUKUS, a trilateral alliance between Australia, the UK, and the US in response to threats in the Indo-Pacific region.

In April, Japan expressed its desire to become the fourth member of the AUKUS group. New Zealand also announced its interest in participating in the pact last year.

The post Canadian Aurora Maritime Patrol Aircraft to Conduct N. Korean Sanction Monitoring appeared first on The Defense Post.

Tokyo seeks to acquire nine more KC-46As, along with 18 turbofan engines, 16 radar warning receivers, and 33 infrared countermeasure suites, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announcement.

The request includes missile warning sensors, identification friend-or-foe transponders, and communications equipment to be integrated into the aircraft.

The potential deal will also cover spare parts, personnel training, training equipment, and engineering and logistics support services.

Once finalized, it will expand Japan’s KC-46A fleet to 15, complementing the four currently in operation and the two additional aircraft already ordered.

Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, RTX, and Northrop Grumman will be the principal contractors.

‘Supporting National Security Objectives’

Powered by two high-bypass turbofan engines, the KC-46A boasts a fuel capacity of 212,000 pounds (96,161 kilograms) and can refuel most fixed-wing aircraft.

It has a refueling boom driven by a fly-by-wire control system for seamless transfer of fuel mid-air.

It is also equipped with a sophisticated self-protection system to allow it to perform its missions in contested environments.

According to the DSCA, the expansion of Tokyo’s KC-46A fleet is expected to support the national security objectives of the US by bolstering the security of a key ally in the Indo-Pacific region.

It will also improve the Asian nation’s aerial refueling and passenger transport capabilities, contributing to a stronger deterrence against current and emerging threats.

The post Japan Cleared to Buy Nine Additional KC-46A Tanker Aircraft for $4.1B appeared first on The Defense Post.

The firm-fixed-price incentive modification contract covers the production of additional AMRAAM missiles, AMRAAM telemetry systems, initial and field spares, and other production engineering support hardware and activities. 

It builds on the previous $1.15-billion contract from 2023 to supply AMRAAM Production Lot 37 to the US Air Force, US Navy, and partner countries.  

Through foreign military sales, this 2024 contract specifies that Bahrain, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the UK will also receive said equipment.

The production work is expected to be completed by December 31, 2028.

The post US Awards Raytheon $1.19B AMRAAM Missile Contract Modification appeared first on The Defense Post.

From Thursday morning to afternoon, the Russian Tu-142 aircraft flew from the sea between Japan and South Korea towards the southern Okinawa region, according to a defense ministry statement.

They then travelled north over the Pacific Ocean and finished their journey off the northern island of Hokkaido, it added.

The planes did not enter Japanese airspace but flew over an area subject to a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia, a ministry official told AFP on Friday.

“In response, we mobilized Air Self-Defence Force fighter jets on an emergency basis,” the statement said.

The last time Russian military aircraft circled Japan was in 2019, the official said, but that incident involved bombers that did enter the nation’s airspace.

Earlier this week, Russian and Chinese warships began joint drills in the Sea of Japan.

The drills are part of a major naval exercise that Russian President Vladimir Putin has described as the largest of its kind in three decades.

Russia and China have ramped up military cooperation in recent years, with both railing against what they see as the US domination of global affairs.

They declared a “no limits” partnership shortly before Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine in 2022.

Japan also scrambled fighter jets in late August when a Chinese military aircraft “violated” its airspace, according to the defense ministry.

The two-minute incursion into Japanese airspace by the Y-9 surveillance aircraft was the first ever by a Chinese military plane, local media reported at the time.

Since the start of the Ukraine conflict, relations have deteriorated sharply between Japan and Russia, which both claim the Kuril Islands – known in Japan as the Northern Territories.

The Soviet Union seized the strategically located volcanic archipelago north of Hokkaido in the final days of World War II, and has maintained a military presence there ever since.

The post Japan Scrambles Jets as Russian Recon Aircraft Circle Country appeared first on The Defense Post.

In a major restructuring move, several key JMSDF units — including the Fleet Intelligence Command, Oceanography ASW Support Command, Guard Post, and Communications Command — will be merged into a single, unified entity focused on information warfare.

The new Fleet Information Warfare Command will then comprise two groups, Operational Intelligence and Cyber Defense. 

It will carry out a broad range of information warfare (IW) duties, such as enemy movement analysis, submarine sound signature analysis, cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and C4ISR. 

This reorganization will enable Japan’s Navy “to strengthen response capabilities to information warfare, including in the cognitive domain, and to establish a system capable of rapid decision-making,” according to the country’s Ministry of Defense.  

Former JMSDF intelligence officer Kenji Yoshinaga revealed to Naval News that this new command was modeled after the US Fleet Cyber Command/US 10th Fleet.

Preparations have been underway since the JMSDF conducted the first-ever joint Japan-US IW training in 2021. The plan for the command’s establishment was stated in the approved Defense Buildup Program in December 2022.

In an additional reorganization, the JMSDF’s Fleet Escort Force and the Mine Warfare Force will be replaced by a new “Fleet Surface Force” by March 2026. 

Strategic Partnerships

Last April 2024, the JMSDF, US Pacific Fleet, and Royal Australian Navy signed the Trilateral Maritime Information Warfare Memorandum.

The agreement was intended to strengthen cooperation on “non-kinetic information operations related to intelligence, communications, meteorology/oceanography, electromagnetic, cyber and space domains, in addition to kinetic operations of the three fleets, for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific.’”

Since then, the three countries have joined forces for their first information warfare event, Exercise Blue Spectrum, held in Sydney in July 2024. 

External Threats

In the 2024 Defense of Japan white paper, territorial disputes with China, North Korea’s missile tests infringing on Japanese territory, and China-Russia joint activities involving operating aircraft and vessels around Japan were identified among the country’s security threats.

Japan’s largest-ever reorganization of its maritime self-defense force and enhanced strategic partnerships are responses to the current security landscape. 

The post Japan Restructures to Create ‘Fleet Information Warfare’ Command appeared first on The Defense Post.

The $20.8-million deal will provide 10 of the company’s proprietary Star SAFIRE 380-HLD multi-spectral imaging systems over three years.

FLIR noted that three initial SAFIRE units, including a spare piece, were already shipped to Tokyo for assessment purposes as per the agreement.

The SAFIRE Imaging System

The Star SAFIRE 380-HLD is a stabilized, ultra-long-range imaging device that captures high-definition visual and thermal videos.

It is integrated with laser designator and rangefinder technologies for precise target acquisition and spot positioning. Users can also opt for enhanced color and low-light versions of the system depending on mission requirements.

FLIR highlighted that the camera can be used for threat localization as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in all weather conditions.

“Growing threats in the region have moved Japan to improve its defense and security capabilities, especially those designed to safeguard its territorial waters and outlying territories,” Teledyne FLIR Defense Asia Pacific Business Development Senior Director Robert Moss stated.

“Our unmatched thermal, optical, and radar-based surveillance solutions bring the most advanced technology to the Japan Self Defense Forces, enabling them to act swiftly and decisively when needed.”

Tokyo’s SH-60 Modernization

Japan’s SH-60L is a locally-made version of the Sikorsky S-60 aircraft line intended for anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue applications.

It is the latest configuration of the country’s proven H-60 fleet, operational since the 1990s.

In December 2023, Tokyo and industry partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries revealed that the development of the SH-60L variant, which began in 2015, was completed.

The new aircraft will eventually replace the older SH-60Ks that were inducted in the early 2000s.

The post Japanese SH-60L Helicopters to Receive Teledyne FLIR Airborne Cameras appeared first on The Defense Post.

The NORA-50 antenna, dubbed UNICORN, is the second defense equipment export by Japan since the lifting of a ban on non-lethal defense equipment transfers in 2014. 

Tokyo exported an air surveillance radar to the Philippines last year and has announced the export of the Patriot Advanced Capability system to the US after further easing the ban in 2023.

“The Ministers further appreciated the successful completion of the cooperation in the areas of Unmanned Ground Vehicle/Robotics,” the third Japan-India 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting statement read.

“They appreciated the progress made for the transfer of Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) and related technologies and early signing of related arrangements.”

In addition, the navies of the two countries are exploring cooperation in ship maintenance in India.

Unified Complex Radio Antenna 

The Japanese government announced plans to transfer the UNICORN to India in 2022.

A trio of Japanese firms developed the antenna: NEC Corporation, Sampa Kogyo KK, and Yokohama Rubber.

It is fitted on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Mogami-class stealth frigates to detect missiles and drones by sensing radio waves.

It includes a stack of multiple antennas covered with a radome, reducing their radar cross section.

“UNICORN is a system that consolidates various antennas that were previously attached to multiple masts on the deck into a single support for the purpose of improving stealth,” according to Yokohama Rubber.

“In addition to its excellent stealth properties, the optimal placement of the antennas has improved the maximum detection distance of radio waves emitted from outside, and simplified the maintenance and installation process.”

The post Japan to Export ‘Unicorn’ Naval Ship Stealth Antenna to India appeared first on The Defense Post.