Japan Seeks to Use Underwater Drones for Coastal Surveillance

According to a report by Reference News Network on November 1, the Japan Economic News reported on October 30 that the Japan Self-Defense Forces will begin using underwater drones to monitor and guard against foreign submarines and other targets. The Japanese Ministry of Defense plans to initiate related research starting from the fiscal year 2027 to promote the large-scale production of underwater drones for detection and attack purposes on domestic soil. Deploying a large number of drones will not only alleviate the burden on Self-Defense Force personnel and reduce the risk of casualties but also aims to strengthen deterrence against the continuously expanding submarine capabilities of neighboring countries.

The Ministry of Defense has included this project in its budget request for the fiscal year 2027 as a project application without a specified amount. The Ministry plans to identify Japanese companies participating in the research and development within the fiscal year 2027 and aims to complete the manufacturing and verification of prototypes by the fiscal year 2035.

Currently, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force mainly relies on submarines and patrol aircraft to monitor the surrounding maritime and airspace. This model not only places a heavy burden on personnel executing long-duration missions but also poses risks of being targeted by adversaries.

The Japanese government plans to revise the "Three Security Documents" within the year, with the expansion of drone equipment applications as one of the important contents. Japan intends to utilize low-cost and mass-producible drones to address threats from large submarines and others.

In addition, ensuring sufficient personnel for the Self-Defense Forces is currently a significant challenge. Especially for submarines that require long voyages, the number of applicants for crew positions continues to decline. Therefore, Japan hopes to alleviate the burden on duty personnel through the use of drones.

The new type of drone being developed by the Ministry of Defense will adopt a generalized design, with core driving components such as propellers standardized. Specific equipment required for different tasks, such as detection or launching torpedoes, will be manufactured separately and can be flexibly replaced. Compared to developing specialized reconnaissance and attack drones separately, this approach can enhance operational efficiency.

In the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation related to Iran, low-cost and widely deployable drones have become the mainstay of combat operations. Japan is also seizing the opportunity of revising the "Three Security Documents" to accelerate the construction of a defense system that can adapt to new types of combat methods. (Translated by Chen Rui)