Japan has moved one step closer to acquiring the MQ-9B SeaGuardian, the Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) RPAS manufactured by California-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI).
The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) MALE Trial Operation Project will feature the SeaGuardian and will begin in April. The project will focus on finding out the extent to which the RPAS will help the force reduce the manpower required for maritime patrol and surveillance. Mannedunmanned teaming (MUM-T) being high on JMSDF’s agenda, the service will also test the capability of the SeaGuardian for such missions.
It may be recalled that in October 2022, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) commenced flight operations using the SeaGuardian from the JMSDF Air Station Hachinohe. The RPA is currently performing maritime wide area search (MWAS) over the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Other missions involving the RPAS include search and rescue, disaster response, and maritime law enforcement.
The SeaGuardian, which is capable of flying in unsegregated airspace, features a multimode maritime surface-search radar with an Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR)
imaging mode, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, and High-Definition – Full-Motion Video sensor equipped with optical and infrared cameras. The sensor suite enables real-time detection and identification of surface vessels over thousands of square nautical miles and provides automatic tracking of maritime targets and correlation of AIS transmitters with radar tracks.
Japan is reportedly planning to decommission some of its search and rescue planes and combat helicopters. including the Japan Air Self-Defence Force’s U-125A aircraft, the Ground Self-Defence Force’s AH-64D combat helicopter, the AH-1S anti-tank attack helicopter, and the OH-1 observation helicopters, and replace them with drones. Also in the making is a drone unit comprising unmanned aerial vehicles of different sizes and capabilities. The unmanned aerial systems currently owned by the JASDF include Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk, and the ScanEagle, made by Boeing subsidiary Insitu.
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