Japanese Defense Ministry officials are considering rotating some of the E-2C AEW&C aircraft to Naha Air Base on a temporary basis to cover a blind spot in its far southwestern perimeter.
Japan’s westernmost radar on Miyakojima island is not able to detect low-flying aircraft over the disputed Senkaku Islands. Tokyo hopes to plug the gap with the E-2C.
However, it will not permanently deploy a E-2C unit on Okinawa as Naha Air Base is already very congested with planes from military.