Boeing Awarded $61 million Contract to Upgrade Japanese E-767 AWACS

Boeing has been awarded a $60,903,323 contract for the mission computing upgrade installation and checkout of four Japanese E-767 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft and associated ground systems.

Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; San Antonio, Texas; and Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2022, A US DoD contract announcement said Monday.

The Boeing E-767 is an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft unique to Japan. It was designed in response to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's (ASDF) requirements, and is essentially the Boeing E-3 Sentry's surveillance radar and air control system installed on a Boeing 767-200. The Japanese ASDF procured two E-767 in fiscal year 1993 and two more in fiscal year 1994.

Monday’s announcement is the second major modernization of the E-767 in recent years. In 2014, the aircraft was equipped with updated mission computers, electronic support measures, a traffic alert and collision avoidance system, AN/APX-119 interrogator friend or foe (IFF) transponder, next-generation UPX-40 IFF, automatic identification system and datalink upgrades.

The previous modernization was done to make Japan's AWACS fleet to be more compatible and interoperable with the US Air Force Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS fleet.