Japan buys the world's largest flying drones. Photo

On December 21, 2022, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) reported that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) RQ-4B Global Hawk, previously delivered to the country by the American company Northrop Grumman, first took off.

Japan buys world's largest drones

Japan began negotiations with the United States on the purchase of drones RQ-4B Global Hawk back in 2015. The contract provides for the supply of three such drones based on the Block 30 configuration. In addition, the American side will transfer two ground control systems and the necessary spare parts. The total amount of the contract is approximately $490 million.

RQ-4B Global Hawk is the largest UAV in the world. Its length is 14.5 m, wingspan - 39.9 m. Its dead weight approaches 6.8 tons, take-off weight - 14.6 tons. The device is capable of reaching speeds of up to 640 km/m and reaching an altitude of 19,800 m. The drone can remain in the air for up to 334 hours. The device is designed for reconnaissance, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Japan buys world's largest drones

The RQ-4B Global Hawk versions for Japan carry synthetic aperture radar, infrared and electro-optical sensors, and signal tracking equipment on board. Drones will help the Land of the Rising Sun to increase situational awareness and expand the ability to respond to potential attacks from other states. The device that took Japan off arrived in March 2022, making an 18.7-hour trans-Pacific flight. About a year earlier, in April 2021, Northrop Grumman conducted the first flight tests of a drone intended for Japan at its own enterprise in Palmdale (California,). USA Ultimately, the new RQ-4B Global Hawk fleet will be stationed at the Japanese Misawa Air Base, located in the northern part of Honshu Island.^[1]

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