Japan increased the number of jets deployed for scrambles against foreign airplanes from two to four.<\/b>
The Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) has doubled the number of fighter jets dispatched to intercept foreign military aircraft approaching Japanese airspace from two to four in 2016, sources within Japan\u2019s Ministry of Defense revealed on February 25.
The increase in JASDF fighter jets responding to potential airspace violations comes amidst rising tensions with China over its growing military presence in the East China Sea, where Beijing and Tokyo both claim sovereignty over a group of uninhabited islands, known in Japan as the Senkakus and in China as the Diaoyus. It is also in the East China Sea where both countries\u2019 air defense identification zones overlap.
As I reported previously , for the first time in about 50 years, the JASDF stood up a new air wing consisting of Mitsubishi F-15J all-weather air superiority fighters in Okinawa, Japan\u2019s most southern prefecture in early 2016. The creation of the \u00a0JASDF\u2019s new 9th \u00a0Air Wing doubled the number of fighter jets from 20 to 40.
As I explained in January 2016 :
However, no Chinese or Russian warplanes entered entered Japan\u2019s airspace in 2016.
While the JASDF relies on E-2C early warning airplanes and Boeing E-767 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, the JASDF\u2019s workhorse for intercepts remains the F-15J fighter jet, of which Japan currently operates around 215 (including the upgraded F-15DJ\/F-15J Kai variants).
The doubling of aircraft used for scrambles against foreign military aircraft will put additional pressure on an already overstretched JASDF. Unless Japan steps up its procurement process and accelerates the introduction of new aircraft (e.g. the F-35), the JASDF will likely face a shortage of fighter aircraft in the 2020s.<\/p>\n