Boeing E - 767 The Boeing E - 767 is an airborne early warning and control ( AWACS ) aircraft . It was designed in response to the Japan Air Self - Defense Force ' s requirements , and is essentially the Boeing E - 3 Sentry ' s surveillance radar and air control system installed on a Boeing 767 - 200 . Development . Background . On September 6 , 1976 , Soviet Air Force pilot Victor Belenko successfully defected to the West , flying his MiG - 25 ' Foxbat ' to Hakodate , Japan . During this incident , Japan Self - Defense Force radar lost track of the aircraft when Belenko flew his MiG - 25 at a low altitude , prompting the Japan Air Self - Defense Force ( JASDF ) to consider procurement of airborne early warning aircraft . In 1976 , the U . S . Air Force was about to deploy the E - 3 Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft , which was considered to be the prime candidate for the airborne early warning mission by JASDF . However , the Japan Defense Agency ( JDA , now Ministry of Defense ) realized that the E - 3 would not be readily available due to USAF needs and instead opted to procure the American E - 2 Hawkeye AWACS aircraft . The E - 2C was put into service with the Airborne Early Warning Group ( AEWG ) at JASDF Misawa Air Base in January 1987 . In 1991 , the JDA requested funds to upgrade the airborne early warning system by procuring the E - 3 . Unfortunately , production of the Boeing 707 - based E - 3 airframe had ended in 1991 and the plan was shelved . The following year , Boeing proposed a 767 - based AWACS , and the JDA agreed to procure two E - 767 in fiscal year 1993 and two more in fiscal year 1994 . Procurement . JDA requested a budget of JPY 113 . 9 billion to procure two E - 767s in fiscal year 1993 and JPY108 . 1 billion for two more E - 767s in FY 1994 . This large budget compared to approximately JPY8 . 6 billion for the E - 2C and an estimated JPY29 . 6 billion for the E - 3A was politically rationalized as a means to help ease the tension over Japan ' s large trade surplus against the U . S . In addition , Japanese aerospace companies are responsible for 15 % of the airframe production for the 767 , meaning some of the money would indirectly return to Japan . The procurement of E - 767 by Japanese government was split into two stages . The first stage was the procurement of an unmodified 767 aircraft by the Japanese government through a trading company , Itochu Corporation . In the second stage , the aircraft were modified to carry AWACS equipment by the U . S . government under Foreign Military Sales rules . Design . The base airframe for E - 767 is that of a 767 - 200ER , Boeing designation 767 - 27C . ( The " 7C " designation is the Boeing customer code for the JASDF ) . The 767 airframe offers about 50 percent more floor space and nearly twice the volume of the 707 on which the E - 3 is based . The mission electronics equipment are installed in forward cabin to balance the weight with the rotodome mounted above the aft fuselage . The aft cabin contains the crew ' s rest area , galley , and lavatory . External features . The E - 767 ' s exterior is usually painted in gray . The 767 ' s windows were omitted in order to protect the crew and equipment from the intense radio frequency transmissions from its radar equipment . A rotodome about 30 feet ( 9 . 14 m ) in diameter and six feet ( 1 . 83 m ) thick at the center is mounted above the aft fuselage on two struts . The rotodome rotates at about six rpm during operations and at 0 . 25 rpm to lubricate the rotation mechanisms even when the radar is not used . There are numerous blade antennae for UHF and VHF communication along the centerline of the fuselage on the top and bottom . There is a rod antenna at each wing tip for HF communication . A fairing in the aft fuselage contains an antenna for JTIDS ( Joint Tactical Information Distribution System ) . Powerplants . Two General Electric CF6 - 80C2B6FA high bypass turbofan engines , 61 , 500 pounds thrust each . The original 90 kVA electrical generator in each engine was replaced with 150 kVA generators to provide electric power to the radar and other equipment . Airborne early warning and control system . The electronics system on the E - 767 is essentially the same as the later E - 3 models , using Northrop Grumman ' s ( formerly Westinghouse Electronic Systems ) AN / APY - 2 radar system . This system is a three dimensional radar that measures azimuth , range , and elevation simultaneously , and has superior surveillance capability over water compared to the AN / APY - 1 system on the earlier E - 3 models . The AN / APY - 2 is a Pulse - Doppler radar that can determine the velocity of a tracked target . This surveillance system includes a flexible , multi - mode radar , which enables AWACS to separate maritime and airborne targets from ground and sea clutter returns that limit other modern radar systems . Its radar has a 360 - degree view , and at operating altitudes it can detect targets more than 320 kilometers ( 200 miles ) away . AWACS mission equipment can separate , manage and display these targets individually on situational displays . AN / APY - 2 ' s antenna and Identification Friend or Foe ( IFF ) Mk XII system ' s antenna are housed in the rotodome back to back . The information acquired by the radar system is processed by IBM ' s CC - 2E central computer conformed to E - 3 Block 30 / 35 Modification and can be displayed on the 14 displays on board . Other major subsystems in the E - 767 are identification , tactical data link , and navigation . Radar System Improvement Program . In November 2006 , Boeing was awarded a $ 108 million contract to deliver Radar System Improvement Program ( RSIP ) kits to Japan ' s fleet of four E - 767 Airborne Warning and Control System ( AWACS ) aircraft . The Foreign Military Sale was contracted through the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base , Mass . The sale also includes spare and repair parts , support equipment and technical documentation . Installation of the kits was completed December 2012 , in Seattle , Washington . RSIP increases the AWACS aircraft ' s radar sensitivity , allowing it to detect and track smaller targets . It also improves the radar ' s existing computer with a new high - reliability multi - processor and rewrites the software to facilitate future maintenance and enhancements . The RSIP kit , built principally by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems , Baltimore , MD , under a subcontract to Boeing , consists of a new radar computer , a radar control maintenance panel as well as software upgrades to the radar and mission system programs . Operational history . The first E - 767 made the first flight on October 4 , 1994 at Paine Field , Washington . First flight with the rotodome installed occurred on August 9 , 1996 and it was delivered to JASDF on March 11 , 1998 along with the second E - 767 . Aircraft No . 3 and No . 4 were delivered on January 5 , 1999 . On May 10 , 2000 , all four E - 767s were put into service with Airborne Early Warning Group ( AEWG ) 601st squadron and operated by airborne warning and control squadron crew at JASDF Hamamatsu Air Base . ( Hamamatsu Airbase ' s runway needed to be reinforced to accommodate the E - 767 . ) On March 31 , 2005 , the two squadrons were merged and became an AEWG airborne warning and control squadron ( Hamamatsu ) .