The US military will deploy Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (HALE UAVs) from Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa for “an indefinite period”, the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on 8 April.
Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani noted at a media conference in Tokyo that the Triton UAVs are expected to commence surveillance and information gathering operations “within a few weeks”. The announcement had, however, prompted protests from Okinawan authorities.
The US had earlier deployed two Triton UAVs, which are optimised for long-range maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and operated by the US Navy, at Kadena from around May to October 2024.
Japan is no stranger to HALE-class UAV operations, with the US Air Force routinely deploying the RQ-4 Global Hawk platform – also manufactured by Northrop Grumman – in Japan to support US Indo-Pacific Command missions.
The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) also operates RQ-4B Block 30 Global Hawk UAVs acquired under the US Foreign Military Sales programme to enhance its territorial situational awareness. The three air vehicles acquired by Japan feature a synthetic aperture radar, infrared/electro-optical sensors, as well as signals-intelligence equipment.
According to Northrop Grumman, the MQ-4C Triton builds on the capabilities of the RQ-4 Global Hawk but has been optimised for long-range maritime ISR operations. The company claims a mission radius of 2,000 nautical miles and an endurance of at least 24 hours.
Besides the US Navy, the Triton has also been acquired by Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force.
by Jr Ng
