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The story
On September 15, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s unmanned reconnaissance aircraft “Global Hawk,” flying off the coast of Tottori Prefecture, lost communication mid-flight, and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft spotted what appears to be a piece of the fuselage. The Air Staff Chief stated that the aircraft “was not on a training mission” at the time contact was lost, and since the nature of the mission hasn’t been disclosed, 5ch threads lit up with speculation over whether this was a simple accident or the result of some kind of interference. Some users also raised concerns about the aircraft’s steep price tag and the impact of potentially losing one of the JASDF’s three Global Hawks.
Sep 15 (Tue), 17:00 JST
TV Asahi (ANN)
A Japan Coast Guard aircraft has found what appears to be part of the JASDF’s large unmanned reconnaissance aircraft “Global Hawk,” which lost communication while in flight, off the coast of Tottori Prefecture.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Sorry for still being alive.
About ¥20 billion a unit, but initial setup costs piled it up to ¥30 billion.
Saw a post somewhere saying it was ¥20 billion.
Don't worry, they're doubling the defense budget anyway.
Takaichi administration weighs raising defense spending to 3.5% of GDP — fiscal management tested by U.S. pressure
Japan considering new mid-term target in step with U.S. allies — South Korea at 3.5% over 10 years
Japan has signaled to U.S. officials its intent to sharply increase defense spending — sources
https://www.bloomberg.com/jp/news/articles/2026-09-15/TL127GT9NJLT00
Taken literally, that's exactly what it sounds like.
Wonder if they scrambled jets.
Maritime SDF: helicopter collision
Air SDF: Hawk goes missing
And Takaichi's still out here picking fights with China through all this.
If it stays a mystery, it got shot down.
> Regarding the circumstances when communication was lost, they said it "was not during training."
If it wasn't training and it wasn't a real mission either, how does that even happen?
The Ground SDF once had a guy straight-up steal a plane and fly off in it.
They didn't need to say that, did they?
I don't think the SDF was ever obligated to account for every single move it makes.
It's basically 'read between the lines.'
This one's getting shot down, I guarantee it.
Was wondering what they'd do after losing one, and then I found out
the U.S. military apparently plans to retire all of its Global Hawks by the end of 2027.
Guess Japan could just buy a used one off them?
That's an outdated junk recon plane.
Why would you pay money for something the U.S. military is throwing out?
Honestly wouldn't put it past the Japanese government.
"Operation Tomodachi" all over again (the 2011 U.S. military relief effort after the Tohoku earthquake, used here sarcastically).
So don't they already know exactly what happened?
I mean, if they didn't even know, what was the point of having it up there…
If they knew it was enemy action, Komatsu Air Base would be scrambling like mad right now.
Someone posted this in the last thread.
Looks pretty likely someone deliberately took out the 'deadweight.' Some clever people out there.
Ah, the one that had fake info baked into it.
https://news.ntv.co.jp/gimage/n24/articles/180a4d42a1bb4ab0bb7e6d2918d4a997/f48c54fd-4a89-4850-bd69-e73a2bd095d3.jpg
No way our conflict-avoidant nation would ever admit it got shot down.
Bring in the Lytton Commission already (the 1932 League of Nations panel that investigated Japan's invasion of Manchuria).
Honestly, most Japanese people care more about cheap high-spec Chinese phones and Chinese mobile games.
Nobody wants a war.
Nobody ever takes responsibility — that's Japan for you.
https://tadaup.jp/9o2hHEmK.jpg
Pretty cool-looking, not gonna lie.
Background and Key Points
The Global Hawk is an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft capable of long-duration, high-altitude flight, and the JASDF keeps three of them stationed at Misawa Air Base. It’s a pricey piece of kit, reportedly running over ¥20 billion per aircraft, so the possibility that one has now been lost carries real weight from a defense-budget standpoint. The Air Staff Chief’s pointed remark that the aircraft “was not on a training mission” fueled speculation about the mission’s purpose and the cause of the incident, but as of this writing, the actual cause of the communication loss remains undisclosed. Whether it was an accident, a mechanical failure, or an external factor will have to wait on further investigation — the “it was shot down” theories floating around the thread remain unverified speculation. Some posts claimed the U.S. military is retiring its Global Hawk fleet, but that’s a forum comment, not something confirmed in the article itself.
*This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Live Update] JASDF “Global Hawk” Loses Communication Off Tottori Coast — What Appears to Be Aircraft Debris Found; Air Staff Chief: “It Was Not During Training”.”
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