The is a squadron of the Airborne Early Warning Surveillance Group of the

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warfa ...

(JASDF) based at

Misawa Air Base is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, in the northern part of the island of Honshū of Japan. It is located northeast of Misawa railwa ...

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

, Japan. It is equipped with Northrop Grumman E-2C/D Hawkeye aircraft.

History

In the early 2010s the amount of air activity by China near Okinawa increased dramatically after Japan effectively nationalized the disputed

Senkaku Islands The are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan. They are located northeast of Taiwan, east of China, west of Okinawa Island, and north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands. They are known in main ...

, sparking a major backlash from China. Beginning in 2012 E-2C aircraft of the squadron began deploying to

Naha Air Base , formally known as the , is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport on the Oroku Peninsula in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. History Imperial Period Naha Airf ...

as required, and in 2014 603rd Squadron was officially formed by taking around 130 personnel and four of the squadron's 13 E-2C aircraft from

. This left the 601st squadron with nine aircraft.

Tail markings

Unlike many other JASDF squadrons, the squadron's aircraft generally have a marking on their forward fuselage instead of on the tail. The marking is of a bat grasping two bolts of lightning.マーキング
Retrieved September 26, 2017

Aircraft operated

* Northrop Grumman E-2C/D Hawkeye/Advanced Hawkeye

References

{{reflist Units of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force