To strengthen its electronic warfare capabilities, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has recently requested USD 292.1 million for the next year, aimed at advancing the development of a new version of the Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft of the Self-Defense Forces.
According to the information released, efforts will focus on improving the capabilities for collecting electromagnetic wave information, necessary for executing electronic jamming and providing protection against threats in this area.
In recent years, Japan has been enhancing its military capabilities, taking into account the increasingly complex environment in the Asia-Pacific region, characterized by the growing presence of China, Russia, and North Korea. Through this project, Japan also aims to improve its military systems in the electromagnetic domain, which is key for multidomain operations.
Development plans had already been announced in September 2023, when the Japanese company Kawasaki confirmed its intention to develop a new surveillance and patrol aircraft, intended to replace the current Kawasaki P-1s operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Developed, designed, and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), the P-1 is a four-engine aircraft intended for surveillance and patrol missions used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Unlike other models, such as the P-8 Poseidon, the P-1 is not an adaptation of a commercial aircraft, but was designed from scratch specifically for this purpose.
Months later, it was confirmed that this new version of the Kawasaki P-1 will replace the five EP-3 Orions of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), which are currently used for signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection, including electronic intelligence (ELINT) and communications intelligence (COMINT). However, the EP-3, a variant of the already outdated P-3C maritime patrol aircraft, faces increasing maintenance and sustainability challenges, reinforcing the need for its replacement.
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