Japan

Japan Drops Apaches, Bets $70M On Drones Instead

Japan Drops Apaches, Bets $70M on Drones Instead

Japan just put real money behind the idea that attack helicopters are finished. The country’s fiscal year 2026 defense budget, enacted on April 7, includes ¥11.1 billion ($69.7 million) to buy five “wide-area UAVs” for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force,…

Japan Deploys Drones For Nighttime Wildfire Mapping

Japan Deploys Drones for Nighttime Wildfire Mapping

When a wildfire tore through Mount Ogi in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, ground crews couldn’t reach it and helicopters stopped flying at dark. That’s when the drones went to work. Blue Innovation Co., Ltd. conducted nighttime aerial imaging flights over the…