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General Atomics has confirmed the Japanese Navy’s decision to buy 23 MQ-9B SeaGuardians after 2028 as part of a program to reduce purchases of crewed maritime patrol aircraft.
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces selected the medium-altitude uncrewed aircraft system following a 1.5-year evaluation that included flight trials with MQ-9Bs last summer from Kanoya Air Base on the southern tip of Kyushu island.
The trials simulated maritime patrols over the East China Sea, a Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesman told local reporters Aug. 27.
The MoD released a request for proposals on Aug. 21 and received one bid based on the MQ-9B on Oct. 1. The ministry announced the selection decision Nov. 15.
The selection is part of a larger effort to reduce manpower requirements by using uncrewed platforms to replace crewed systems.
Implementation of an “equipment optimization” strategy released by the MoD earlier this year would link the acquisition of MQ-9Bs to a plan to reduce the number of Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft that the Navy buys.
The Navy operates 34 P-1s, but had planned to buy 26 more by 2034, according to Aviation Week’s Fleet Discovery Military database. The turbofan-powered P-1s are replacing an aging fleet of Lockheed P-3C Orions that are expected to be retired over the next decade.
Japan’s Coast Guard also operates a small number of MQ-9Bs to patrol fisheries.
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