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E-3 Sentry makes historic touchdown in Chitose ATR

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Raughton
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs

The 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron made a historic touchdown in its first-ever Chitose Air Base Aviation Training Relocation event in Hokkaido, Japan, held throughout September 2021.

The E-3 Sentry, the Air Force’s premier airborne warning and control system, joined Kadena Air Base’s 67th Fighter Squadron and Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s 201st and 203rd Tactical Fighter Squadrons to conduct bilateral training and increase interoperability between U.S. and JASDF forces in support of the U.S. Japan security alliance.

Capt. Jake Ortiz, 961st AACS detachment commander for the E-3 team at Chitose, had three mission sets for the ATR.

“We’re increasing operational readiness,” he said. “We’re in the Indo-Pacific Command theater where we are working with our allies to be able to build up together to defend their interests and our national interests. Secondly, we’re improving interoperability, the bilateral side of things.”

Ortiz said JASDF and USAF work together for a common objective and complete the mission together, but there’s one final reason to have the E-3 operate from Chitose.

“We’re also reducing local noise impacts,” he said. “There are two E-3s on Kadena AB. Once you move one of them, you’re reducing the noise around Kadena by 50 percent.”

While pursuing these goals, what does an E-3 Sentry do that will benefit the F-15s?

“The E-3 itself is a command and control (C2) battle management platform,” Ortiz said. “It utilizes radar capabilities to monitor the activity going on to support any mission needs and types, whether it’s defensive or offensive counter-air, our controllers or airborne weapons officers are capable to control the fighters to make sure they go to the right place at the right time and hit the right targets.”

The E-3 is equipped with pilots, a navigator, and a flight engineer on the flight deck, and at times more than 25 operators conducting mission support and surveillance. Finally, it’s equipped with its signature radome.

“It’s a communication force multiplier,” said Master Sgt. Adam Grable, 961st Aircraft Maintenance Unit production superintendent. “Having an E-3 up allows us to have more mission capabilities and have less confusion and lessens the time it takes to get something done.”

The E-3 Sentry removes the fog of war.

Grable said the data links onboard the E-3 allows the aircrew to share sensor data with other players in the battle space, and additionally receive their sensor data to help them get the full picture of the battle space, between air, sea and ground players.

Throughout the bilateral training, the JASDF teams were always on hand to provide servicing capabilities, such as fuel and liquid oxygen.

“There’s a lot of coordination required to make sure we have the capabilities to maintain and operate with this capability in this location, and [JASDF] have been more helpful than we could have imagined in providing us everything we’ve needed so far,” Ortiz said. “Just being able to operate from a different location is a big deal, especially when we’re thinking bilateral capabilities and supporting each other, and where we need support from.”

Ortiz noted that the experience flying in Chitose alongside Kadena and JASDF F-15s was enlightening, showing the E-3 crews where any adjustments would need to be made in order to operate more effectively in the future, so future ATRs in Chitose will pay dividends for the E-3.

“It’s been such an awesome experience working with the JASDF and being able to coordinate those needs and seeing how they can help us, and it’s awesome to work with their fighters and see how we can help them and meet their training needs,” he said. “It’s been an awesome experience.”