Re: 일본 해상보안청, MQ-9B 운용 영상 공개

[위종민]

11월 17일 해상보안청이 MQ-9B 시 가디언 운용현장을 공개했습니다.

해자대의 아오모리현 하치노헤 공군기지에서 운용중이네요. 현재 운용중인 기체는 1대이며, 2023년부터 대수를 늘릴 예정입니다. 운용인력을 외주줘서 운용인력은 GA  20명, 해보청 4명이네요. 

하치노헤에서 혼슈, 시코쿠, 규슈까지 초계 가능하며, 현재는 이착륙 이외에는 육지 상공을 비행하지 않도록 하고 있어, 동해로 진입하기 위해선 육상의 최단거리 루트 대신 쓰가루 해협을 지난다고 합니다. 

장착된 센서가 무언지가 궁금한데 그 내용은 없군요.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/12/video-japan-coast-guards-new-mq-9b-seaguardian/

Video: Japan Coast Guard's New MQ-9B SeaGuardian - Naval News

Yoshihiro Inaba

4-5 minutes

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On November 17, 2022, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) introduced for the first time to a few Japanese reporters its new MQ-9B SeaGuardian. Naval News' Tokyo-based correspondent, Yoshihiro Inaba, was among them. Here is what you need to know about the MALE UAV that has been in operation with the JCG since October.

07 Dec 2022

Reporting, video and photos by Yoshihiro Inaba from Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture

The base of operations is the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture, located in northern Japan. According to the JCG, the MQ-9B can fly for more than 24 hours and has a cruising speed of 230 km/h. It can depart from Hachinohe Air Base and fly over Japanese territorial sea in Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu before heading back to base. In addition, operators and maintenance personnel are outsourced to save manpower related to operations, and the aircraft are leased. However, operations are managed by JCG, and currently 20 people from General Atomics and 4 people from JCG are involved in operations.

The operations center to control the MQ-9B is located in a hangar at Hachinohe Air Base. Inside of it is a station for the Coast Guard officers who oversee operations, a station for GA personnel, and console space for the operators. According to the JCG, they currently operate only one MQ-9B, but plan to operate multiple aircrafts from FY2023 onward. JCG also operates manned aircraft such as the Gulfstream V and Falcon 2000. The Coast Guard is seeking to make more efficient use of these manned aircraft by operating them in combination with the slower but longer range MQ-9B.

However, the JCG has no previous experience operating MQ-9B class UAVs, and currently imposes various restrictions on their operation. For example, in consideration of the danger of crashes, the aircraft will not fly over land, except during takeoff and landing, and will always fly over the sea. Therefore, according to JCG, in order to enter the Sea of Japan from Hachinohe Air Base, which faces the Pacific Ocean, the shortest distance over land is not possible, and the aircraft must fly over the Tsugaru Straits, which lie between Honshu and Hokkaido.

Background of JCG’s introduction of SeaGuardian

The introduction of UAVs for the JCG was prompted by the Japanese government’s decision in December 2016 to adopt a new policy for maritime security. The policy is designed to strengthen the functioning of the JCG in response to the recent activity of Chinese fishing and government vessels in the waters around Japan. Therefore, it was decided to consider the introduction of UAVs for the purpose of continuous monitoring of these foreign vessels, especially those operating within Japan’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In fact, Japan’s territorial waters, plus its EEZ, are the sixth largest in the world: It would be difficult to keep watch of such a vast area with manned aircraft and patrol vessels alone.

Japan Coast Guard MQ-9B Seaguardian

In 2020, the JCG conducted operational testing of the MQ-9B at Hachinohe Air Base, with a total of 13 flight tests totaling 147 hours. As a result, the JCG has confirmed that the MQ-9B has a long range, can operate day and night, has the same or better surveillance capabilities as a manned aircraft, can be finely controlled via satellite communications, has a secure control system against jamming, and can automatically avoid collisions with other aircraft. The decision was made to begin operations in 2022.

하치노헤 기지의 위치 

[백선호]

GA 사람 20명이 와서 운용까지 해주면 완전히 "해양감시 as a service"네요.

[위종민]

수리 등 유지보수는 어디까지 가능하게 계약을 체결했는지가 궁금하네요. 통으로 외주주고 해보청 인력은 확인과 판단만 할 수도 있고, 점차적으로 인력 확충해서 몇 년 지나면 자체 운영할 수도 있겠는데.. 아오모리면 외국인 인력들이 가서 일하고 싶을 곳은 아닐 것 같으니 수량 늘어나면 자체 운영하지 않을까 합니다만.

[백선호]

아오모리의 오오마가 크고 기름진 고급 참치들이 잡히는 곳이니 참치를 좋아하는 사람이라면... ㅎㅎ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkYla9huYdk

[위종민]

채널J였나, 참치에 인생을 건 사나이들인가 하는 프로그램에 많이 나오더라구요 ㅎㅎ 그래도 맛있는 참치요리집은 동경에 있을 듯한 느낌..