Japan to launch unmanned Global Hawk surveillance drones in fiscal 2015

Japan’s Defense Ministry is planning to deploy its first Global Hawk unmanned surveillance planes from the Air Self-Defense Force Misawa Airbase in Aomori Prefecture, in the country’s northern region.

Three Global Hawks will be deployed from April 2015 until March 2016, and will be co-maintained by the ASDF with U.S. Air Force to ensure the effectiveness of their operation.

Equipped with sophisticated radar capable of detecting movements of aircrafts, missiles and vessels within a 500 km radius at an altitude of 18,000 meters, the Global Hawk can also fly 30 hours non-stop, though lacking an attack capability.

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