An RQ-4 Global Hawk drone flies over mountains and desert.
The United States military will use long-range surveillance drones to spy on North Korea next year, US government officials announced this week.
Beginning next spring, the US Air Force will fly several drones near North Korean borders to gather intelligence data on the country with an estimated population of 24 million.
The unarmed Global Hawk drones will fly out of an undetermined base in Japan, according to The Washington Post.
US government officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, met with Japanese representatives this week to finalize the military agreement. Both sides hope the surveillance missions will enhance gathering intelligence on North Korea.
Global Hawk drones are capable of flying at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet (18,300 meters), and are the Air Force’s most advanced surveillance vehicles. The drones also boast impressive aerial endurance, and can perform flights that last more than 28 hours.
The planes are equipped with a range of instruments, including infrared sensors and satellite communications systems. The RQ-4 Global Hawk, the biggest drone in the US Air Force fleet, is capable of surveying 40,000 square miles (103,000 square kilometers) of ground in one day.
The Air Force currently has Global Hawk drones stationed in Guam, in the western Pacific Ocean, and in the Persian Gulf. This week’s agreement is the first time the Pentagon has obtained rights to operate drones from bases in Northeast Asia, reported the Post.
American drones previously conducted flights over Japan in 2011 to monitor the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which suffered a partial meltdown following the region’s devastating earthquake and tsunami that claimed nearly 16,000 lives. Live Science
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Copyright: Press TV