Japan Deploys MQ-9B SeaGuardian Drones To Supervise Senkaku Islands

Drone MQ-9B SeaGuardian Japan Coast Guard. (Source: General Atomics)

JAKARTA - Japan deployed large Japanese Coast Guard drones to monitor the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, as Chinese ships were reported repeatedly intrusing to the surrounding waters, said a source with knowledge of this on Monday.

The use of the SeaGuardian MQ-9B, a US-made drone piloted remotely and equipped with advanced radar, is expected to help improve security in Japanese territorial waters off these uninhabited islands, covering an area of about 4,740 square kilometers.

The operation of this unmanned aircraft appears to be intended to show Japan's determination not to tolerate any unilateral attempts to change the status quo to violence in the East China Sea.

The source said SeaGuardian had flown over the Senkaku Islands several times since April, overseeing Chinese coast guard ships and taking pictures, according to Kyodo News, August 18.

The drone may be assigned to issue air alerts to Chinese ships from entering Japanese territorial waters, according to the source. Separately, the Japanese Coast Guard has not disclosed the operation of unmanned aircraft around the Senkaku Islands.

Chinese Coast Guard ships routinely sail near the Senkaku Islands, which is managed by Japan but are claimed by China, which calls it Diaoyu.

The ships were detected for 355 days in 2024, marking a record high since the Japanese government placed the small islands under state control in 2012.

SeaGuardian, with a length of about 12 meters and a wingspan of 24 meters, was piloted at the ground operations center. Other images and data collected by the unmanned aircraft were examined by coast guard officers, who also issued instructions.

The Japanese Coast Guard currently operates three SeaGuardian drones, with two more to be added during the fiscal year until March 2026.

So far, SeaGuardian drones have been introduced for surveillance missions in the East China Sea, Pacific and the Sea of Japan, as well as used for emergency response and maritime disasters.

Produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., the aircraft can fly continuously for more than 24 hours. In one flight, the aircraft can complete a full one-round perimeter outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The Japanese Coast Guard began operating SeaGuardian at the Maritime Self-Defense Force air base in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, but moved its base to Kitakyushu Airport in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwest Japan, in January to prepare for full-scale operations.