Spend 1 trillion yen within 5 years! Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to strengthen the deployment and use of drones | Drones | Japan's Ministry of Defense Plan
According to Japanese media reports, due to the significant involvement of drones in offensive operations during the Russia Ukraine conflict, the Japanese Ministry of Defense plans to invest 1 trillion yen over a five-year period starting from 2023 to strengthen the deployment and use of drones.
Japan strengthens the deployment and application of unmanned aerial vehicles by spending money in three steps
According to Japanese media reports, due to the significant involvement of drones in offensive operations during the Russia Ukraine conflict, the Japanese Ministry of Defense plans to invest 1 trillion yen over a five-year period starting from 2023 to strengthen the deployment and use of drones.
![Spend 1 trillion yen within 5 years! Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to strengthen the deployment and use of drones | Drones | Japan's Ministry of Defense Plan](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/05917af5cb8e89d255a06c1a74fe0e17.jpg)
According to the Japanese government's plan, the construction of domestically produced drones in Japan is planned to be carried out in three steps. The first step is to develop remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, and it is expected to test the prototype in 2024. The second step is to achieve formation coordination between one manned fighter jet and multiple unmanned fighter jets. The third step is to establish a completely independent drone squadron, which is expected to be deployed by 2035.
Developing unmanned equipment and "cross domain" capabilities to ensure asymmetric advantages
The website of American diplomats recently reported that on December 16, 2022, the government of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida released three documents outlining several plans to invest in defense and security capabilities. Subsequently, the Japanese parliament approved the 2023 fiscal year defense budget in February this year, increasing defense spending by 26%, equivalent to approximately 49.2 billion US dollars. Both strategic documents and defense budgets emphasize Japan's intention to invest in a range of unmanned platforms and capabilities. These documents indicate that unmanned equipment has been placed at the core of the Kishida government's restructuring defense strategy. Specifically, the Kishida government envisions that unmanned equipment and "cross domain" capabilities will ensure that Japan has an asymmetric advantage during wartime. In the air, these capabilities include long-range carrier based drones and at least two types of combat drones. Obtain unmanned surface vehicles and unmanned underwater vehicles at sea and underwater. In addition, unmanned ground vehicles can help protect bases and critical facilities, while directed energy weapons will help Self Defense Forces resist drone attacks.
![Spend 1 trillion yen within 5 years! Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to strengthen the deployment and use of drones | Drones | Japan's Ministry of Defense Plan](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/b6470e7b6ce6caba4e484d30687c96cb.jpg)
According to the report, according to the Defense Force Readiness Plan, the final introduction of the new unmanned driving system will enable the Japan Ground Self Defense Force to establish a new unmanned aerial vehicle reconnaissance and strike force, and the Maritime Self Defense Force to establish two departments specifically responsible for unmanned equipment.
Analysis: Japan's dependence on the United States for drone construction is further deepening
On January 23, 2023, the Japan Air Self Defense Force established a reconnaissance aviation team using the American made unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, the Global Hawk, at the Sanzawa base in Aomori Prefecture, and held a ceremony for its establishment at the base. The reconnaissance aviation team plans to have a fleet of 3 Global Hawks and 130 personnel in the future.
![Spend 1 trillion yen within 5 years! Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to strengthen the deployment and use of drones | Drones | Japan's Ministry of Defense Plan](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/0ec4c4a17fb1bd0a11f97d2fd139a440.jpg)
Some analysts believe that after the establishment of the unmanned reconnaissance aviation team using the RQ-4B Global Hawk drones, Japan's dependence on the United States in drone construction will further deepen, and its localization construction pace may be delayed.
Japanese Ground Self Defense Force introduces drones and other equipment during live fire exercises
In May of this year, the largest live fire exercise of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, the Fuji Comprehensive Firepower Exercise, introduced drones and other equipment as suicide weapon targets and dropped bombs, demonstrating the possibility of launching attacks using drones.
![Spend 1 trillion yen within 5 years! Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to strengthen the deployment and use of drones | Drones | Japan's Ministry of Defense Plan](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/f7524e753825d496242ce46ab9ab3e62.jpg)
The mission scope of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force is constantly expanding, and drones are needed to strengthen maritime surveillance
In June, at the Aomori Prefecture base, the control facilities of the newly tested Seaguard drone produced by General Atomics of the United States were made public to the media for the first time.
The "Sea Guard" has a total length of 11.7 meters and a wingspan of 24 meters. It is equipped with high-performance cameras and can focus on ships sailing in nearby waters under the operation of operators in the control room. According to the Daily News of Japan, the Maritime Self Defense Force is advancing verification work to confirm whether large unmanned aerial vehicles can replace the maritime surveillance tasks that have always been carried out by patrol planes.
![Spend 1 trillion yen within 5 years! Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to strengthen the deployment and use of drones | Drones | Japan's Ministry of Defense Plan](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/10cb0f6c0cd36b674c22b43287665419.jpg)