Japan Confirms Global Hawk Drone Crashed Off Tottori

Sep 17, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has concluded that a large Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that lost communication off Tottori Prefecture on September 15 crashed into the sea.

Floating objects believed to be parts of the aircraft have been found in waters off Tottori Prefecture, and the Air Self-Defense Force said it will continue searching the area in an effort to recover the aircraft.

The U.S.-made Global Hawk is a large unmanned reconnaissance aircraft costing about 17 billion yen per unit.

The aircraft was conducting a mission flight when communication was lost.

Source: TBS

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Japan Confirms Global Hawk Drone Crashed Off Tottori

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has concluded that a large Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that lost communication off Tottori Prefecture on September 15 crashed into the sea.

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A Japan Air Self-Defense Force Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft went missing over international waters about 50 kilometers north of Tottori Prefecture on September 15, with floating debris and oil later found in the area where communications were lost.

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