Heron

Japan's fiscal year 2026 defense budget, enacted on April 7, includes ¥11.1 billion ($69.7 million) earmarked for the acquisition of five "wide-area UAVs" for the Ground Self-Defense Force, according to budget documents published by the Ministry of Defense. The budget line describes the wide-area UAV as a system capable of detecting surface vessels and other targets at long range, and of collecting the information necessary for commanders to assess battlefield situations and direct firepower. Critically, the Ministry of Defense did not restrict the procurement to non-armed platforms. The two UAVs that have undergone documented testing and evaluation by Japan's defense establishment — the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2S and the Israeli-made Heron Mk II — both carry organic attack and electronic warfare capabilities as standard configurations, making armed procurement a plausible outcome under this budget line. The Bayraktar TB2S, manufactured by Turkey's Baykar, is an upgraded variant of the TB2 that gained international recognition for its performance in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The TB2S adds a satellite communications link to the baseline TB2 design, enabling beyond-line-of-sight operations — a capability of particular relevance for monitoring Japan's vast maritime approaches. Powered by a Rotax 912 reciprocating engine producing 100 horsepower, the aircraft can remain airborne for approximately 27 hours. Four underwing hardpoints can carry up to 150 kilograms of laser-guided bombs or missiles. Estimated unit cost is approximately ¥700 million, or roughly $5 million. The GSDF Central Accounting Unit conducted a procurement survey for the TB2S in August 2023. The Ministry of Defense subsequently acknowledged to Jane's Defence Weekly that TB2 testing was underway and expected to be completed during fiscal year 2025. In August 2025, Defense Minister Nakatani traveled to Turkey and visited Baykar's facilities directly. That combination of sustained procurement interest, completed testing, and ministerial-level engagement makes the TB2S one of the leading contenders for the wide-area UAV contract. The Heron Mk II, produced by Israel Aerospace Industries, represents the other primary candidate. It is equipped with a Rotax 915 iS engine rated at 141 horsepower and is rated for a maximum endurance of 45 hours at speeds up to 278 kilometers per hour. The aircraft carries a wide-area surveillance system allowing broad coverage without requiring the platform to cross into foreign airspace — a significant operational consideration given Japan's legal framework around Self-Defense Force operations. The Heron Mk II has been observed flying at Shirahama Airport in Wakayama Prefecture, with Kawasaki Heavy Industries reportedly involved as the domestic handling company. The Ministry of Defense told Jane's that testing and evaluation of the Heron Mk II were completed during fiscal year 2024. Its estimated unit price is approximately ¥1.5 billion, or around $10 million — roughly twice the TB2S. Beyond those two leading candidates, the budget and procurement landscape includes several additional options. SUBARU — the manufacturer better known domestically for automotive products but with an established record producing the GSDF's FFOS remote-controlled observation system and FFRS unmanned reconnaissance system — signed a contract with the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency in December 2023 worth approximately ¥660 million to conduct a concept-demonstration study for a vertical-takeoff-and-landing multi-purpose UAV, with a delivery deadline of February 2025. That effort positions SUBARU as a potential domestic VTOL contender. General Atomics' Gray Eagle 25M, the modernized variant of the MQ-1C, is another platform that could theoretically meet the requirement. It runs on a heavy-fuel reciprocating engine producing 200 horsepower, offers more than 40 hours of endurance, and uses a Modular Open Systems Approach architecture that allows rapid reconfiguration with electronic warfare pods or alternative sensor packages. The Gray Eagle 25M completed its first flight in December 2023 and has begun deliveries to U.S. Army National Guard units. The policy driving this procurement traces directly to Japan's Defense Buildup Program, approved by the cabinet in December 2022. That plan mandated the phased elimination of the GSDF's AH-1S Cobra anti-tank helicopters and AH-64D Apache combat helicopters, with their firepower and reconnaissance missions transferred to multi-purpose and attack UAVs. The wide-area UAV line in the fiscal year 2026 budget is the first confirmed funding step toward that force structure objective. The Defense Buildup Program's longer-term organizational annex calls for the establishment of one multi-purpose unmanned aircraft unit within the GSDF by approximately fiscal year 2032. The Ministry of Defense issued its second Request for Information on multi-purpose UAVs on January 30, 2026, following an initial RFI in March 2025. The submission deadline for industry responses to the second RFI was March 12, 2026, meaning the ministry is now processing those submissions as the next stage of the selection process. The Takaichi administration has also announced plans to revise Japan's three core national security documents — the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program — before the end of this year, with drone-centric warfare explicitly identified as a key area for reassessment. Any revised plan could further accelerate or expand UAV acquisition targets beyond what the current documents specify. The transition from manned attack helicopters to unmanned systems is one of the most significant structural shifts in GSDF aviation in decades. With ¥11.1 billion now formally appropriated, five airframes authorized, and two completed test and evaluation programs on record, Japan's ground forces are moving from planning to procurement on a capability that has reshaped ground combat from Ukraine to the Middle East.

Heron

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