Japanese army holds 1st live-fire anti-drone drill in US: Report

ISTANBUL

The Japanese army is holding a live-fire training in the US on drone interception for the first time, Nikkei Asia reported on Tuesday.

The drill is part of the Rising Thunder joint exercise between the US Army and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), with the participation of 440 GSDF members and 500 US Army personnel.

It is being held from Oct. 27 to Nov. 12 in the northwestern US state of Washington at the Yakima Training Center, which is significantly larger than central Tokyo's 23 wards combined.

This marks the GSDF's first live-fire drone interception exercise.

Holding a similar exercise in Japan would be "difficult to accomplish in a complete manner," said Gen. Arai Masayoshi, the GSDF chief of staff.

GSDF personnel are using portable equipment to shoot down practice drones provided by the US in flight.

Drones can also be intercepted with the use of electromagnetic waves that can damage their circuitry.

The Japanese government said in 2022 that it would acquire and rapidly deploy technologies to effectively counter drone swarms.

The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, an agency under Japan’s Defense Ministry, is doubling down on research into high-power lasers and microwaves for the anti-drone efforts.