Japan's Air Self-Defense Force says one of its ¥17 billion (about £81 million) Global Hawk surveillance drones is presumed to have crashed into the sea off Tottori Prefecture, after it developed communications problems and vanished from radar about 50 kilometres off the coast on Tuesday, 15 September.
The missing RQ-4B was one of only three Global Hawks operated by Japan's air force from Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture. Debris and oil were later spotted in the area where contact was lost, although officials said the cause remained under investigation.
