U.S. MQ-9 Recon Drones to Be Officially Deployed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Aim to Increase Surveillance Capabilities

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:58 JST, August 31, 2025

The U.S. Marine Corps is planning to formally deploy MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles for reconnaissance that are currently stationed temporarily at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, it has been learned.

The move is part of efforts to strengthen surveillance and monitoring capabilities in the region around the Nansei Islands, including the Senkaku Islands.

The base already hosts permanently stationed MQ-9s from the U.S. Air Force. The Marine Corps began a temporary deployment of these aircraft last summer, planning to operate up to six units for approximately one year. Thereafter, the Marine Corps decided on the formal deployment plan, claiming the aircraft proved useful for intelligence gathering, and the U.S. military informed the Defense Ministry.

The MQ-9 is about 11 meters long and 20 meters wide, with the ability to remain airborne for about 30 hours. It can monitor the movements of naval vessels and ships across vast maritime areas, including at night, and has been adopted by the British and French militaries.

The formal deployment is likely to be opposed by Okinawa Prefecture and related municipalities, which may view it as increasing the burden of hosting the base.

The U.S. military in Okinawa Prefecture is advancing the unmanned operation of vessels and aircraft by deploying the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel, an unmanned vessel capable of transporting supplies, and the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle at U.S. military facilities in the prefecture.

Compared to the Triton, the MQ-9 enables real-time monitoring with high-resolution imagery.

“This is part of a move anticipating responses to China’s persistent aggressive maritime expansion,” said a source within the Defense Ministry.