Japanese AWACS get upgrade

Boeing has been awarded a $108m 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, Massachusetts. The sale also includes spare and repair parts, support equipment and technical documentation. Installation of the kits will occur during a follow-on contract.

‘RSIP increases the AWACS aircraft's radar sensitivity, allowing it to detect and track smaller targets,’ commented Anthony Williams, Boeing Japan AWACS program manager. ‘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 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.

RSIP kits have been installed on the US, United Kingdom, NATO and French AWACS fleets.

Boeing delivered the four E-767 AWACS to

between 1998 and 1999. They have been in service since 2000.