USN to deploy MQ-4C Triton HALE UAV to Japan for first time

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo announced on 7 May that the US Navy (USN) will temporarily deploy the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to Japan from mid-May while the US Air Force will send the RQ-4 Global Hawk HALE UAV by the end of the month.

The move will mark the first time that the Triton is deployed to Japan, whereas Global Hawks based at Andersen Air Force Base on the US territory of Guam have been deployed to the northeast Asian country since 2014 as part of a regular seasonal rotation.

The MoD said in a statement that the upcoming deployment of the UAVs, “whose missions are intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) activities”, comes “in the midst of [an] increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan”, which is why “it is critical to enhance ISR activities by both countries”.

The move is intended to “demonstrate US commitment to Japan’s defence and will be beneficial to [the] security of Japan by strengthening the ability of maritime surveillance around Japan, given the increasingly active maritime activities by surrounding countries”, noted the MoD in an apparent reference to China’s increasing assertiveness in the region, especially around the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are controlled by Tokyo but also claimed by Beijing.

No details were provided as to how many examples of each UAV type will be temporarily deployed to Japan.