The helicopter disappeared from radar tracking after leaving a Ground Self Defence Force base on Miyakojima, according to a GSDF official.

Iran PressAsia: A missing Japanese army helicopter carrying 10 crew members is believed to have crashed into the sea off a southern island after objects appearing to be aircraft parts were spotted in the area, an official has said to Aljazeera.

The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter disappeared from radar on Thursday afternoon while on a reconnaissance mission north of Miyako island, the head of the Ground Self Defense Force, Yasunori Morishita, said at a news conference.

Debris believed to be aircraft parts were spotted in the area, about 1,800km (1,120 miles) southwest of Tokyo, he said.

The government is aggressively building up its defense capability in southwestern Japan in response to China’s increasingly assertive military activity in the region, including Taiwan.

 

207

Read more:

2 U.S. army helicopters crash in Kentucky, leaving 9 dead

4 killed in Colombian military helicopter crash