The Japan Self-Defense Forces Navy will test the SeaGuardian large reconnaissance drone over the East China Sea later this year.
This was reported by NHK, as reported by Ukrinform.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Friday that the test was aimed at testing whether the drone could patrol an area where the Chinese Navy is increasingly active.
The remote-controlled SeaGuardian will be launched approximately three times between July and September from Kanoya Air Base in Japan’s southwestern Kagoshima Prefecture, the ministry added.
The Japan Self-Defense Forces Navy began test flights last May to evaluate the SeaGuardian’s potential to replace manned patrol and surveillance aircraft.
The flights took place in the airspace near Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture in the north of the country.
Self-defense forces will also decide whether this large UAV will actually be used based on its characteristics and other factors.
As Ukrinform reports, the American company WaveAerospace has presented the Huntress II Turbojet quadcopter with a speed of up to 483 km per hour.
Photo: General Atomic