According to the press release, the UAV conducted a ferry non-stop transpacific flight. On Thursday, March 10, the aircraft departed from Palmdale, California, flew across the Pacific Ocean and landed 18.7 hours later on March 12.
Japan Air Self-Defence Forces (ASDF) plan to use the UAV at high-altitude surveillance missions at the Indo-Pacific Ocean. The RQ-4B may fly at an altitude of 60,000 feet and has an endurance of more than 32 hours, according to the Northrop Grumman. The aircraft has a range of 22,800 kilometres.
