Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has been seeking information from the private sector to support its review of the function and performance of a warning and control radar system that the force is planning to introduce.
In a notice published on June 3,[1] the Air Staff Office asked companies to submit information by June 12 ahead of the JASDF’s plan to issue a formal Request for Information (RFI) for technical and other related support.
This RFI is expected to target private-sector companies with manufacturing or sales experience, technical knowledge and other relevant expertise for the prospective air defense system.
While the radar equipment in question is not specified in the call, one can possibly speculate that it relates to the JASDF’s “next-generation warning and control radar equipment”, a fixed-site system contracted out to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO)[2] and scheduled to become operational in fiscal year (FY) 2027.[3]
On the company website, MELCO explains that the prospective fixed-site radar system is designed to deal with next-generation stealth aircraft and ballistic missiles. The radar is to use a distributed network that can synthesize signals from multiple antennas.[4]
The system will also feature distributed deployment with coordination between multiple sites in order to both enhance survivability and to extend detection range of aerial threats.[5]
The radar can be expected to play a key role in JASDF’s upgrades to its integrated air and missile defense architecture, “JADGE” (Japan Aerospace Defense Ground Environment).
As part of JADGE, the radar is to support the JASDF’s persistent warning and surveillance operations and detect and track ballistic missiles and other airborne threats. These include hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), which are highly manoeuvrable and operate at relatively low altitudes and with unpredictable trajectories.[6]
Development Issues in the Next-Gen Warning and Control Radar
One speculative reason for the JASDF’s latest call ahead of a formal RFI could potentially be related to issues that have occurred during the course of the radar system’s development and testing.
A March 2026 update by the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) on the project’s progress explains that a total of seven radar units are expected to be acquired, with an eighth potentially to be considered.
However, the radar system, still in the research and development (R&D) phase, has seen delays and the schedule for beginning mass production and deployment has been extended from FY2024 to FY2027.[7]
ATLA notes how some difficulties have occurred with the radar system’s two R&D test units.
One unit’s delivery date was delayed by two years: from an original scheduled date of May 2022 before finally being delivered in January 2024. This was a result of delays in component manufacturing during the coronavirus pandemic. Some key components were also beset by defects which required measurement data from design tests to be collected again.
A second unit’s delivery date was also delayed by two years from March 2023 to March 2025. This was mainly due to the design delays in the first unit. Installation adjustments in preparation for technical and operational testing have also since been required. This has resulted in a delay to testing, which began in January 2025 – 4 months behind schedule.
Thus, the JASDF’s call for information from the private sector may potentially be related to a need to meet the revised development and testing schedule in order to achieve mass production by FY2027. Equally, it could be related to ensuring sufficient industrial capacity for the production phase itself.
Evolving Airborne Threats and Potential Improvement Requirements
A second speculative reason could potentially be related to an evolving aerial threat environment, namely technical advances in HGVs and low-RCS drone systems. Both threats have become a lot more prominent since the first radar test unit was contracted out in 2018.
In MELCO’s defense systems business primer from 2025, the company emphasises how it is working to strengthen the air surveillance capabilities of its fixed-site radar systems in order to deal with new threats such as low-altitude HGVs.[9]
More recently, the 2026 Iran War has highlighted the effectiveness of massed low-cost one-way attack drones in being able to evade and overwhelming fixed-site air defense radar sites.[10]
Notably, JMOD has recently acknowledged this threat to its own fixed radar sites. Last month, the ministry published an RFI seeking to rapidly acquire systems that can detect and identify swarms of attack UAVs and provide guidance for interceptor drones tasked with neutralizing the threat.[11]
Conclusion
The JASDF’s call for information from the private sector in relation to warning and control radar equipment indicates urgency in overcoming possible technical issues and have in place the capabilities required for the force’s next-generation JADGE for integrated air and missile defense system.
Rapid deployment of key radar systems is in turn becoming paramount in order to be able to provide warning and surveillance support for countermeasures that can then deal with the threat posed by unpredictable HGVs, swarms of one-way attack drones, and the emergence of new and more effective high-speed jet engine-powered strike UAVs.[12]
Notes:
[1] JASDF “情報提供企業の募集” [Call for Companies to Provide Information], June 3, 2026, https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/news/20260603.pdf.
[2] Wing, “次期警戒管制レーダ開発第1次契約を三菱電機に発注” [Mitsubishi Electric Awarded First Contract for Development of Next-Generation Air Defense Radar], December 21, 2018, https://www.jwing.net/news/8313.
[3] ATLA, “52 次期警戒管制レーダ 装置 取得プログラムの分析及び評価の結果の概要等” [52: Summary of Analysis and Evaluation Results for the Next-Generation Early Warning and and Control Radar Acquisition Program]. In: “プロジェクト管理対象装備品等の現状について” [Current Status of Project-Managed Equipment], March 2026, p.52-3, https://www.mod.go.jp/atla/soubiseisaku/project/gaiyo_r080520.pdf.
[4] Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, “防衛関連事業” [Defense-related Projects], https://www.mitsubishielectric.co.jp/recruitment-ecsystems/business/defense/.
[5] Wing, “次期警戒管制レーダ開発第1次契約を三菱電機に発注” [Mitsubishi Electric Awarded First Contract for Development of Next-Generation Air Defense Radar], December 21, 2018, https://www.jwing.net/news/8313.
[6] Japan Ministry of Defense, “Defense Buildup Program” December 16, 2022, p.23, https://www.mod.go.jp/j/policy/agenda/guideline/plan/pdf/program_en.pdf.
[7] ATLA, “52 次期警戒管制レーダ 装置 取得プログラムの分析及び評価の結果の概要等” [52: Summary of Analysis and Evaluation Results for the Next-Generation Warning and and Control Radar Equipment Acquisition Program]. In: “プロジェクト管理対象装備品等の現状について” [Current Status of Project-Managed Equipment], March 2026, p.52-2, https://www.mod.go.jp/atla/soubiseisaku/project/gaiyo_r080520.pdf.
[8] ATLA, “52 次期警戒管制レーダ 装置 取得プログラムの分析及び評価の結果の概要等” [52: Summary of Analysis and Evaluation Results for the Next-Generation Warning and Control Radar Equipment Acquisition Program]. In: “プロジェクト管理対象装備品等の現状について” [Current Status of Project-Managed Equipment], March 2026, p.52-3, https://www.mod.go.jp/atla/soubiseisaku/project/gaiyo_r080520.pdf.
[9] Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, “Defense Systems Business”, March 12, 2025, p.12, https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/pr/2025/pdf/0312-1.pdf.
[10] Victoria Beaule, Peter Charalambous and Kerem Inal, “US and allied radar sites in the Middle East struck at least 10 times: Visual analysis”. ABC News, March 19, 2026, https://abcnews.com/International/us-allied-radar-sites-middle-east-struck-10/story?id=131164670.
[11] JMOD, “レーダーサイト防衛用ＵＡＶに関する情報・提案要求書” [RFI: UAVs for Radar Site Defense], May 27, 2026, https://www.mod.go.jp/j/budget/rapid_acquisition/pdf/docs_20260527a.pdf.
[12] For more on recent technical developments on jet-powered strike UAVs, see: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, “War&Sanctions: DIU Reveals Structure of Russia’s New Jet-Powered Strike UAV”, May 25, 2026, https://gur.gov.ua/en/content/warsanctions-hur-rozkryvaie-budovu-novoho-rosiiskoho-reaktyvnoho-udarnoho-bpla-yeran4.
This article was originally posted on NSBT Japan, the first defense and security industry network in Japan. The publication provides the latest information on security business trends both within Japan and overseas. Asian Military Review began exchanging articles with NSBT Japan in April 2024.
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