Japan has offered a first look at a new combat drone roughly the size of a flashlight, giving troops a compact system designed to scout and strike ground targets at close range.
Footage shared by NHK WORLD-JAPAN shows the drone stored in a tube-like housing and equipped with a stacked multi-rotor configuration.
Despite its small size, the aircraft is designed to carry cameras or munitions against ground vehicles.
The footage also appears to show an integrated electro-optical/infrared sensor and a compartment for carrying a specialized payload.
Japan has not disclosed the drone’s weight, range, endurance, payload capacity, guidance system, propulsion, or complete sensor suite.
First Demo Hits a Snag
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) presented the unmanned aerial vehicle during a joint training exercise with the French Army at the Ojojihara Training Area.
A planned flight demonstration was intended to show two soldiers operating the compact system, with one releasing the drone by hand and the other controlling it through a portable tablet.
The scenario called for a camera-equipped drone to locate a target before a second aircraft carrying simulated ammunition moved in to attack.
However, a malfunction prevented the planned flight from taking place.
Built for Coastal Defense
The compact aircraft is one of three new drone types being developed by Japan’s Ministry of Defense, each covering a different operational range.
Designed to engage vehicles and vessels in coastal and offshore waters, the drones are scheduled to enter service in the next fiscal year.
They will form part of Japan’s developing “SHIELD” coastal defense system.
