The "RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV" has recently been deployed in Singapore and has become a solid backing for the US military's South China Sea strategy.

(Reuters)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] As the U.S. military actively enhances its military strength in the Indo-Pacific region, the "RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft" (Global Hawk) serving in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy has recently been deployed in Singapore.

The Global Hawk plays a pivotal role in the surveillance, intelligence, command, guidance and other services of the US military in the South China Sea.

According to the "Defense News" report, in January this year, the U.S. Air Force officially deployed the Global Hawk UAV rotation to Singapore.

The high-altitude, long-endurance drone made by Northrop Grumman has been spotted at Changi Air Force Base several times.

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This is the first time Global Hawk has deployed to Singapore, having only visited the city-state at the 2018 and 2022 Singapore Airshow (Singapore Airshow).

"Defense News" asked the Singapore Ministry of Defense for confirmation, and replied that the country "facilitated the short-term deployment of RQ-4 Global Hawk drones."

In 1990, the two countries signed a "memorandum of understanding" (memorandum of understanding), authorizing the US military to use Singapore's military facilities.

Singapore's Ministry of Defense did not provide further information on the deployment.

Defense News inquired further about Pacific Air Forces, the U.S. command arm in the region.

Neither the Pacific Air Forces Command nor the U.S. Embassy in Singapore responded to questions about the deployment.

However, sources in Singapore revealed that after arriving in the country in January this year, the Global Hawk was still operating on the island until early March; during the deployment, the Global Hawk was almost only operating at night.

The Global Hawk has an ultra-long battery life. The U.S. Air Force claims it can last more than 34 hours, which means that it has the ability to take off at night, stay in the air during the day, and return to the base calmly the next night.

The deployment of the Global Hawk coincides with the US Navy's USS Nimitz aircraft carrier (USS Nimitz) and USS Makin Island amphibious assault ship (USS Makin Island) leading their respective strike groups and appearing in the South China Sea.

Previously, the two strike groups had successively visited Changi Naval Base in Singapore.