US sending stealth-hunting planes to Japan

Washington, Jan 6 (IANS) The US Navy is sending to Japan the aircraft equipped with advanced radar that can detect stealth fighters, a media report said on Friday.

The E-2D Advance Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft will be deployed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in February, according to a statement on Thursday from the US Navy Japan.

Deployment of the Advanced Hawkeyes is part of "a plan to put the most advanced and capable units forward in order to support the US’s commitment to the defence of Japan and the security and stability of the region," the statement said.

The E-2D is equipped with the A/N-APY radar system, which according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin has the power to "see smaller targets and more of them at a greater range, particularly in coastal regions and over land," CNN reported.

The Advanced Hawkeyes coming to Japan were previously operating from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in support strikes on the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, the statement added.