Japan Air Self-Protection Power EC-1 Digital Warfare operations at Iruma Air Base.
The Kawasaki C-1 is a twin-engine navy transport plane developed and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries for the Japan Air Self-Protection Power (JASDF).
Developed starting in 1966 with manufacturing began in 1971, the Kawasaki C-1, between 1971 and 1981, the JASDF was delivered 31 C-1s that served with three squadrons: the 401 Hikotai at Komaki, 402 Hikotai at Iruma and 403 Hikotai at Miho.
For the reason that successor C-2 has began mass manufacturing, the variety of C-1s has been lowered because the JASDF prepares to withdraw the kind from energetic service. In the mean time the kind is in service with the 402nd Tactical Airlift Squadron of the first Airborne Brigade Japan Air Self-Protection Power (JASDF) at Iruma Air Base, positioned within the metropolis of Iruma, in Saitama Prefecture, roughly 35 miles (55km) northwest of Tokyo. The identical base hosts additionally the one and solely Kawasaki EC-1: an digital warfare (EW) model of the C-1, geared up with digital countermeasures (ECM) and different methods to detect and jam enemy radar and communications indicators.
The plane, serial quantity 78-1021, is the twenty first manufacturing C-1 modified to fulfill a 1983 Protection Company contract. It made the primary flight within the new configuration in December 1984 and was handed over to the JASDF for analysis in January 1985. In June 1986, the EC-1 entered service with the Digital Warfare Coaching Unit. It’s geared up with the home XJ/ALQ-5 ECM and Toshiba ELINT methods (along with American ECM and Elint avionics) and includes a peculiar black bulbous nostril, tail radome, in addition to a number of bulges alongside the fuselage that home the varied sensors.
The secretive plane, in service with the Digital Warfare Assist Unit at Iruma AB, was just lately noticed working from its homebase at Iruma AB, by our buddy Misael Ocasio Hernandez. The video under offers an fascinating shut up view on the ultra-rare plane.
Together with the JASDF’s YS-11EB ELINT plane, the EC-1 will likely be changed by the Kawasaki C-2 Electronic Intelligence variant (additionally dubbed “RC-2”), a closely modified baseline C-2 tactical transport plane with a redesigned nostril part and huge fairings prime of the tail, fuselage and sides of it, in addition to a number of antennas beneath the fuselage.
David Cenciotti is a journalist primarily based in Rome, Italy. He’s the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of many world’s most well-known and skim navy aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for main worldwide magazines, together with Air Forces Month-to-month, Fight Plane, and plenty of others, protecting aviation, protection, conflict, business, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown a number of fight planes with completely different air forces. He’s a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Power, a non-public pilot and a graduate in Laptop Engineering. He has written 5 books and contributed to many extra ones.
