Japan’s new ‘ugly duckling’ electronic-warfare aircraft takes to the sky

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Japan’s new electronic-warfare aircraft, converted from a Kawasaki C-2 tactical cargo hauler, took to the sky for its maiden flight this week.

The EC-2 plane, ridiculed by judgy aviation enthusiasts for its bumpy body, took off from Gifu Air Base on March 17, checking a key box in the envisioned plan of fielding the aircraft for operations in March 2027.

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force – or JASDF for short – stated, “We’ll continue working toward its introduction to improve capabilities in the electromagnetic domain, and to strengthen the cross-domain operations capabilities.”

When deemed ready the aircraft will be assigned to the Electronic Warfare Operations Group located at Iruma Air Base, east of Tokyo.

Last year’s defense budget listed funding of 41.4 billion yen – around $262 million – to continue development of the EW aircraft.

Of note, the EC-2 was converted from the first production C-2 transport delivered to the JASDF. The twin-jet C-2 is similar in size to an Airbus A400M, with acquisition officials choosing it for the EW role thanks to its payload capacity and flight performance.

While the aircraft is not expected to win any beauty competition – with its bulbous nose that resembles a platypus, two tandem dorsal humps and protruding lateral fairings – it performs an important mission of disrupting and neutralizing enemy radar and communication systems on the ground and in the air from a safe distance.

Specialized equipment includes jamming technology, electronic countermeasures, electronic support measures and satellite communications. This equipment was developed domestically, including the upgraded J/ALQ-5 jamming system.

Concerned by troublesome neighbors like China, North Korea and Russia, Japan’s fiscal 2026 budget stated: “The electromagnetic spectrum has become the frontline of offense and defense in modern combat. In light of this situation, securing superiority in the domain of electromagnetic spectrum is an urgent issue.”

The question for Japan is how many EC-2s the JASDF should acquire. The defense-acquisition directorate says the number is “currently under consideration,” although officials have previously mentioned a requirement for four aircraft.

The JASDF operated a solitary EC-1 EW aircraft from 1986 until its retirement last year. Moving from one EW platform to potentially four demonstrates the importance Japan is now placing on electronic attack.

Kawasaki has built 18 C-2s for the JASDF so far. With one converted to an EC-2 and another becoming an RC-2 electronic-intelligence platform in 2020, the JASDF currently has 16 in a transport configuration.

Of note, budgets since 2024 have allocated money for additional RC-2 electronic intelligence aircraft.

Incidentally, the JASDF has also tested a C-2 with the American Rapid Dragon palletized weapons module. This system would allow long-range cruise missiles – such as Japan’s upgraded Type 12 weapon – to be launched from the rear of a transport aircraft.

However, defense leader have yet to decide on the future acquisition of such a system.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

新西兰基督城——日本新型电子战飞机由川崎 C-2 战术运输机改装而成，本周进行了首飞。

EC-2 飞机因其凹凸不平的机身而受到一些爱评判的航空爱好者的嘲笑，但它于 3 月 17 日从岐阜空军基地起飞，这标志着在 2027 年 3 月投入运营的计划中的一个重要里程碑。

日本航空自卫队（简称 JASDF）表示：“我们将继续努力引进该技术，以提高电磁领域的作战能力，并加强跨域作战能力。”

当认为准备就绪时，该飞机将被分配到位于东京以东入间空军基地的电子战作战大队。

去年的国防预算列出了 414 亿日元（约合 2.62 亿美元）的资金，用于继续研发电子战飞机。

值得注意的是，EC-2是由交付给日本航空自卫队的首架量产型C-2运输机改装而来。这款双喷气式C-2的尺寸与空客A400M相仿，采购官员之所以选择它执行电子战任务，正是看中了它的有效载荷能力和飞行性能。

虽然这架飞机不太可能赢得任何选美比赛——它有着像鸭嘴兽一样的球状机头、两个串联的背部驼峰和突出的侧整流罩——但它执行着一项重要的任务，即从安全距离干扰和摧毁地面和空中的敌方雷达和通信系统。

专用设备包括干扰技术、电子对抗措施、电子支援措施和卫星通信。这些设备均为国产，其中包括升级后的J/ALQ-5干扰系统。

鉴于中国、朝鲜和俄罗斯等邻国带来的麻烦，日本在2026财年预算中指出：“电磁频谱已成为现代战争攻防的前线。在此情况下，确保电磁频谱领域的优势是一个紧迫的问题。”

日本面临的问题是航空自卫队应该采购多少架EC-2飞机。防卫采购局表示，采购数量“目前正在考虑中”，尽管官员们此前曾提到需要四架飞机。

日本航空自卫队从1986年起一直使用一架EC-1电子战飞机，直至去年退役。从一架电子战平台发展到可能拥有四架，表明日本现在对电子战的重视程度。

川崎重工迄今已为日本航空自卫队制造了18架C-2运输机。其中一架于2020年改装为EC-2，另一架改装为RC-2电子情报平台，目前日本航空自卫队拥有16架运输型C-2运输机。

值得注意的是，自 2024 年以来的预算都已拨款用于购置额外的 RC-2 电子情报飞机。

顺便一提，日本航空自卫队也测试过搭载美国“快速龙”托盘式武器模块的C-2运输机。该系统可使远程巡航导弹——例如日本升级后的12式导弹——从运输机尾部发射。

然而，国防领导人尚未决定未来是否采购此类系统。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。