By Marina Malenic
The U.S. Air Force is using reconnaissance assets such as the unmanned Global Hawk aircraft to gather critical intelligence over Japanese airspace in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the island nation earlier this month.
Both the RQ-4 Global Hawk, built by Northrop Grumman [NOC], and a U-2 spy plane last week flew over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to assess damage done by the magnitude-9.0 March 11 earthquake.
The Global Hawk used in the mission is stationed at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The aircraft is being used to help assess damage to towns, industrial infrastructure and other facilities affected during the earthquake and subsequent flooding, according to the Air Force.
“The Global Hawk is an ideal [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] asset to aid in disaster relief,” Gen. Gary North, the commander of Pacific Air Force, said in a statement. “It directly complements ongoing efforts in the region and represents how advanced technology can provide crucial and timely support to senior leadership officials and search, recovery and disaster relief efforts.”
Force Pacific Air Force is the air component of U.S. Pacific Command.
The Global Hawk was also used for disaster relief efforts following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010 (Defense Daily, Jan. 25, 2010). This will be the aircraft’s first use in a humanitarian operation in the Pacific theater since it was permanently assigned at Andersen in September 2010 (Defense Daily, Sept. 21, 2010).
With approximately 30 hours of flight endurance and ability to survey large geographic areas, it offers first responders near real-time information to assess damage and prioritize rapid response.
According to the head of Pacific Command, a team of 450 U.S. radiological and disaster-management experts are also standing by should Tokyo request assistance. Adm. Robert Willard told reporters at the Pentagon March 17 that he remains “cautiously optimistic” about Japanese attempts to cool spent nuclear fuel at the damaged nuclear-power plant.
“In some cases, they are only able to assess our offers [of assistance] because, at the end of the day, it has to be integrated into the many other efforts that are ongoing by many agencies in Japan,” Willard said in a live feed from the Pacific.
Late last week, the U.S. military imposed a 50-mile “no go” zone around the plant, but Willard said U.S. military personnel could work inside the area in support of Japanese military, if necessary.
“We will make excursions in that area as necessary, recognizing that the plume that is of such concern is blowing out to sea the vast majority of the time,” he said.
More than 750 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel, as well as civilians, based on Okinawa are deployed in support of the mission being referred to as Operation Tomodachi. Thousands of additional U.S. military personnel are positioned offshore.