Editorial: Meet Japan's New Maritime Surveillance Plane

Dassault Falcon 2000 (Image: Wiki Commons)

By Franz-Stefan Gady

As tensions in East Asia are on the rise, Japan’s Coast Guard is steadily increasing its capabilities.

On April 22, the Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) announced that it has selected the Falcon 2000 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) for its expanding operational fleet, according to a press release (PDF) by Dassault Aviation.

The Falcon 2000 MSA, based on the Falcon 2000 LXS business jet, has a range of 4000 nautical miles (7408 kilometers) and is developed for a flight crew of two plus two mission system operators (or four mission system operators in its enhanced configuration), IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly reports.

Furthermore, IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly summarizes the Falcon 2000 MSA’s surveillance capabilities:

It is equipped with a long-range multimode air-to-surface radar with dedicated maritime modes, a retractable electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor turret, multifunction work stations with automatic analysis functions, and a communications suite that includes satellite communications (SATCOM).

Read the full story at The Diplomat