Page 27 - ADT MARCH 2023 Latest Magazine | GBP

 DSEi JAPAN SHOW PREVIEW
JAPAN TO

INVEST

HEAVILY IN

MILITARY

UAVS

By deciding to introduce and utilizing various is operational in Israel, Morocco, India, Singapore, and Azerbaijan,
types of unmanned military aircraft, including has a flying time of 6 hours and a range of 1,000 km both ways. A
attack drones, Japan is following a global trend larger version of the IAI Harpy, Harop is designed to be launched from
among militaries. The world over, manned assets ground or sea-based canisters but can be adapted for air launch.
are making way for unmanned weapons.
The unmanned aerial systems currently owned by the JASDF include
The relatively low cost of procuring and operat- the Global Hawk reconnaissance aircraft, manufactured by Northrop
ing drones is not the only reason why unmanned Grumman, and the ScanEagle, made by Boeing subsidiary Insitu. In
weapons are in great demand. Drones help December last year, the JASDF flew the first of its new RQ-4B Global
keep personnel out of danger, thus limiting Hawk unmanned aircraft; Northrop Grumman had delivered the
loss of life. Japan is planning to decommis- high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAV to the service in March.
sion some of its search and rescue planes and Both the ScanEagle and the Global Hawk are only capable of sur-
combat helicopters. including the Japan Air veillance, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. Unmanned
Self-Defense Force’s U-125A aircraft, the Ground attack aircraft is high on the Asian country’s priority list as its main
Self-Defense Force’s AH-64D combat helicopter, adversary, China, does have them as part of its fleet.
the AH-1S anti-tank attack helicopter, and the
OH-1 observation helicopters, and replace them Among the attack drones that are likely to be considered for purchase
with drones. Also in the making is a drone unit is the Baykar Bayraktar TB2, a medium-altitude long-endurance
comprising unmanned aerial vehicles of different (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) manufactured by
sizes and capabilities. the Turkish company Baykar, primarily for the Turkish Armed Forces
but in use by a growing list of air forces around the world. The drone
As part of its larger strategy of investing in has recently been in the news for its extensive use by Ukraine against
drones for the JASDF, Japan is planning to Russian forces. The Armed Forces of Ukraine had purchased 12
introduce loitering munitions on a trial basis, Bayraktar TB2s in 2019.
mainly in the Nansei Islands, in fiscal year 2023.
Loitering munitions, which are suicide drones Another MALE unmanned aerial system that has evoked plenty of
that have an integrated warhead designed interest in Japan is California-based GA-ASI’s MQ-9B. There are
to engage beyond visual line-of-sight targets plans to deploy the SeaGuardian, the maritime version of the MQ-9B,
(BVLOS), have become an integral part of all on a trial basis at Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture. The
major militaries. weaponized version of the MQ-9B has been hard to acquire for most
militaries as there are export restrictions that the U.S. has imposed for
the sale of armed drones, but due to the close military ties that the
Among the loitering munitions that are likely to be
introduced are the AeroVironment Switchblade two nations share, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the U.S. does approve
the sale of the armed version of the SeaGuardian to Japan.
and Harop, made by Israel Aerospace Industries
(IAI). The Switchblade, which is small enough In October last year, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) commenced
to fit in a backpack, launches from a tube and flight operations using the SeaGuardian from the Japan Maritime
crashes into its target while detonating its explo- Self Defense Force (JMSDF) Air Station Hachinohe. The RPA is being
sive warhead. The loitering munition is currently used for Maritime Wide Area Search (MWAS) over the Sea of Japan
used by the U.S. UK, and Ukraine, with Lithuania and the Pacific Ocean. The multi-mission drone can also be used
set to join the list after signing a contract to for search and rescue, disaster response, and maritime law enforce-
acquire the Switchblade 600. The Harop, which ment.
ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2023 | 27