The Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) new electronic warfare (EW) aircraft recently conducted its first two test flights, a significant step in Tokyo’s ability to counter threats from the Chinese Communist Party, North Korea and Russia. The developmental EC-2’s capabilities include jamming technology, satellite communications, and electronic countermeasures to disrupt and neutralize enemy radar and communications systems on the ground and in the air.
The aircraft will replace the EC-1. “We’ll continue working toward its introduction to improve capabilities in the electromagnetic domain, and to strengthen the cross-domain operations capabilities,” the JASDF stated.
The plane is being evaluated at Gifu Air Base, home of the JASDF’s Air Development and Test Command, where the two test flights were conducted in March 2026, according to the website Asian Military Review.
Under development since 2021, the EC-2 is scheduled to begin operations in March 2027 and will be assigned to the JASDF’s Electronic Warfare Operations Group at Iruma Air Base.
The EC-2 was converted from a Kawasaki C-2 tactical cargo hauler selected for its payload capacity of nearly 36 metric tons and its flight performance. It features a bulbous nose and two fairings on the upper fuselage’s forward and aft sections, with an additional fairing mounted each side of the rear fuselage, to accommodate specialized equipment.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has built 18 C-2s for the JASDF, the Defense News website reported. Another C-2 was converted to an RC-2 electronic intelligence platform in 2020. In addition, one of the planes was tested with the United States’ Rapid Dragon palletized weapons module, which would allow long-range cruise missiles to be launched from the rear of the aircraft.
The planes are part of Tokyo’s increased defense spending after Japan’s Cabinet approved a record defense budget of more than $58 billion for 2026, which includes funding for counter-EW systems and EW-capable fighter aircraft.
Given advances in the range and application of electromagnetic waves across domains, “the electromagnetic spectrum has become the front line of offense and defense in modern combat,” Japan’s Defense Ministry stated. “In light of this situation, securing superiority in the domain of electromagnetic spectrum is an urgent issue.”
Sentry is a professional military magazine published by U.S. Strategic Command to provide a forum for national security personnel.