Japan's ASDF Confims Crash of Missing Global Hawk Drone

Tokyo, Sept. 16 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Air Self-Defense Force concluded on Wednesday that the Global Hawk reconnaissance drone that lost communication and went missing crashed off the western prefecture of Tottori.

The ASDF will set up an accident investigation committee and continue searching for the unmanned aircraft in areas around the presumed crash site.

According to the ASDF, the aircraft took off from the Misawa Air Base in the city of Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday. A communication failure occurred at 12:55 p.m. and the drone's radar track disappeared 3 minutes later. SDF staff at the base controlled the aircraft via satellite communication.

The Japan Coast Guard found part of the drone in nearby waters. The ASDF examined photographs of the drone and wreckage and concluded that the aircraft had crashed.

The ASDF has not disclosed details of the drone's mission or flight route while saying that it was on duty. Training flights of the ASDF's Global Hawk drones have been canceled.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]