Northrop Grumman completed the first test flight of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) RQ-4B Global Hawk UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) on Thursday. The flight was carried out at the manufacturer's plant in Palmdale, California.
"The RQ-4B Global Hawk will provide Japan with on-demand intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's missions to secure borders, monitor threats and provide humanitarian assistance in times of need", said Jane Bishop, vice president and general manager of autonomous systems at Northrop Grumman.
“This successful first flight marks a significant milestone in the delivery of the Global Hawk to our Japanese allies.”
According to Northrop, the Global Hawk is the only high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) drone capable of providing near real-time, 24-hour on-demand data. Once operational, the Global Hawk will integrate with other Japanese intelligence assets, including ground-based command and control units.
The capability will provide solutions to monitor and deter regional threats to ensure Japan has a highly effective national security posture well into the future, the manufacturer said in a statement.
In November 2018, the country acquired three RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30i drones for US$ 490 million through FMS (Foreign Military Sales).
