Japan shares Global Hawk ISR mission data with US to counter Chinese Military Demonstration
from Sankei Shimbun 2013.12.2 08:02
Japanese and U.S. governments are working jointly to share the information gathered by RQ-4 Global Hawks operated by the two countries assuming the Japanese Air Self-defense Force will introduce the unmanned ISR platform.
- The two country’s air forces will share infrastructure to maintain the aircraft in Japan possibly at Misawa Air Base in northern Japan. This is an attempt to increase air surveillance capability to Chinese aircraft and ships as they are intensifying explicit demonstrations of power over the East China Sea as shown by setting up their Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over disputed area.
- Japanese Defense Ministry is requesting JPY 200 million for study of the aircraft in FY 2014 budget proposal and will introduce Global Hawks in fiscal 2015.
- As China is insisting to set up another ADIZ in South China Sea as well, Washington and Tokyo have judged it is imperative to share more information in order to respond to any provocation by keeping constant watch of air/sea areas in East and South China Seas by Global Hawks.
- Ground stations for Global Hawks call for high-level technologies for processing and analysis of huge amount of data received using the equipment are highly classified. JASDF will depend on U.S. counterpart for data processing and analysis via satellites at the start, meaning information gathered by Japan would be processed by U.S. ground stations, while, in return, Japan will ask U.S. to share information gathered by U.S. by the standard of fairness.
- USAF will move one of three RQ-4s stationed in Andersen Air Base to Misawa Air Base in spring time of 2014 temporarily; this particular airframe will be assigned to ISR missions in East China Sea including Senkaku Islands.
