Part of crashed ASDF reconnaissance aircraft recovered | NHK WORLD

Part of crashed ASDF reconnaissance aircraft recovered

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force says it has recovered part of the fuselage of its crashed uncrewed reconnaissance aircraft from the seabed offshore of the western prefecture of Tottori.

The ASDF says it raised part of the Global Hawk on Saturday from an area at a depth of roughly 200 to 300 meters.

Contact with the aircraft was lost on September 15, when it was flying over the high seas off the coast. What appeared to be wreckage was found to be lying on the seabed about 50 kilometers off Tottori City.

The ASDF has been working with a private-sector salvage company to recover the aircraft, which belonged to Misawa Base in the northern prefecture of Aomori.

The cost of one Global Hawk reportedly is some 17 billion yen, or around 107 million dollars. It measures about 15 meters long and 5 meters tall with a wingspan of 40 meters.

The ASDF intends to continue its search-and-recovery effort for other parts of the aircraft from Sunday. It plans to transport the recovered part to Misawa Base for analysis to determine the exact cause of the crash.