Reporting, video and photos by Yoshihiro Inaba from Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture
The base of operations is the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture, located in northern Japan. According to the JCG, the MQ-9B can fly for more than 24 hours and has a cruising speed of 230 km/h. It can depart from Hachinohe Air Base and fly over Japanese territorial sea in Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu before heading back to base. In addition, operators and maintenance personnel are outsourced to save manpower related to operations, and the aircraft are leased. However, operations are managed by JCG, and currently 20 people from General Atomics and 4 people from JCG are involved in operations.
The operations center to control the MQ-9B is located in a hangar at Hachinohe Air Base. Inside of it is a station for the Coast Guard officers who oversee operations, a station for GA personnel, and console space for the operators. According to the JCG, they currently operate only one MQ-9B, but plan to operate multiple aircrafts from FY2023 onward. JCG also operates manned aircraft such as the Gulfstream V and Falcon 2000. The Coast Guard is seeking to make more efficient use of these manned aircraft by operating them in combination with the slower but longer range MQ-9B.
However, the JCG has no previous experience operating MQ-9B class UAVs, and currently imposes various restrictions on their operation. For example, in consideration of the danger of crashes, the aircraft will not fly over land, except during takeoff and landing, and will always fly over the sea. Therefore, according to JCG, in order to enter the Sea of Japan from Hachinohe Air Base, which faces the Pacific Ocean, the shortest distance over land is not possible, and the aircraft must fly over the Tsugaru Straits, which lie between Honshu and Hokkaido.
Background of JCG’s introduction of SeaGuardian
The introduction of UAVs for the JCG was prompted by the Japanese government’s decision in December 2016 to adopt a new policy for maritime security. The policy is designed to strengthen the functioning of the JCG in response to the recent activity of Chinese fishing and government vessels in the waters around Japan. Therefore, it was decided to consider the introduction of UAVs for the purpose of continuous monitoring of these foreign vessels, especially those operating within Japan’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In fact, Japan’s territorial waters, plus its EEZ, are the sixth largest in the world: It would be difficult to keep watch of such a vast area with manned aircraft and patrol vessels alone.
In 2020, the JCG conducted operational testing of the MQ-9B at Hachinohe Air Base, with a total of 13 flight tests totaling 147 hours. As a result, the JCG has confirmed that the MQ-9B has a long range, can operate day and night, has the same or better surveillance capabilities as a manned aircraft, can be finely controlled via satellite communications, has a secure control system against jamming, and can automatically avoid collisions with other aircraft. The decision was made to begin operations in 2022.
