The US will deploy Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons (pictured) at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa to enhance surveillance around the area. (Northrop Grumman)
The United States will deploy an undisclosed number of Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan’s Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani confirmed during a press conference on 8 April.
The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be deployed to strengthen intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in and around Japan to ensure timely response to threats by the US and Japanese militaries, Nakatani said.
Nakatani added that the MQ-4C Tritons will be deployed “within the next few weeks”. The duration of their deployment has not yet been decided.
These UAVs are being deployed as part of efforts to bolster ISR amid concerns about an “increasingly severe” security environment surrounding Japan, Nakatani said.
The MQ-4C Triton is a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) UAV that can be used for signals intelligence, communications relay, and search-and-rescue (SAR) operations. The UAV has a length of 14.5 m, a height of 4.7 m, and a wingspan of 39.9 m. According to company specifications, it has a maximum operating altitude of 50,000 ft and an endurance of 24 hours.
This is not the first time the US is deploying the MQ-4C Tritons in Okinawa. Two MQ-4C Tritons were deployed at Kadena Air Base from May to October 2024. These MQ-4Cs complemented the ISR operations being conducted by a US Air Force (USAF) squadron of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Reapers, which were deployed to the site in October 2023.
US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) and Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) had not responded to Janes request for more information about the MQ-4C Triton deployment in Okinawa at the time of publication.
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AloJapan.com