Seoul, May 26 The US Air Force started positioning unmanned reconnaissance aircraft at an air base in Japan earlier this month as part of a rotational deployment, the armed service has said.
The RQ-4 Global Hawks began arriving at Yokota Air Base in Japan from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam last Monday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing a release issued on Thursday by the US Pacific Air Forces.
The rotational deployment came at a time when North Korea has completed preparations to launch its first military spy satellite. Last week, the North's leader Kim Jong-un inspected the satellite, which is "ready for loading" on a rocket, according to the North's state media.
"The Global Hawk's mission is to provide a broad range of U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to support joint forces, and allies and partners in worldwide peacetime, contingency, and crisis operations," it said.
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