“Japan plans to develop a large underwater drone to monitor its remote islands as Tokyo continues to build up assets set to guard against Chinese incursion. The unmanned submersible will be unveiled in a Ministry of Defense’s policy document that lays out the island nation’s five-year plan from April 2019. The submersible will be more than 32 feet long and ‘adaptable to various missions including surveillance.’ A Defense Ministry spokeswoman confirmed a funding request for research and development for the project in the fiscal year 2019 budget, which starts in April. ‘The surrounding environment around Japan is pretty harsh, and for our national security, it is most important to raise our surveillance ability, including the sea,’” said one Japanese Ministry of Defense spokesperson on the matter.
Source: Japan to develop underwater drone to defend remote islands against Chinese – News – Stripes
