USAF Global Hawk begins Japan deployment

The US Air Force (USAF) has deployed a Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk to Japan for what has become a regular seasonal rotation for the high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

An RQ-4 Global Hawk, assigned to the 319th Operations Group, Detachment 1, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, lands at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on 30 May. The rotational deployment maintains operations for Global Hawks during months of inclement weather endured on Guam, as typhoons and other scenarios have the potential to hinder readiness.

The deployment saw a Global Hawk from the 319th Operations Group, Detachment 1, stationed at Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) on Guam arrive at Yokota Air Base near Tokyo, Japan, on 30 May.

“The movement maintains operations for Global Hawks during months of inclement weather endured at Andersen AFB, as typhoons and other scenarios have the potential to hinder readiness,” the USAF said. The annual rotation was agreed between the governments of the United States and Japan in 2013.

The USAF has 31 Block 20, 30, and 40 Global Hawk UAVs in its inventory. As noted by Janes World Air Forces , the platform’s integrated sensor suite is designed to provide all‐weather, night or day intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in near real time. The most recent Block 40 variant carries the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program package that features an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar providing moving target indication information and synthetic aperture radar imagery.