US approves drone sale to Japan

WASHINGTON: The United States approved the sale of three Global Hawk surveillance drones to Japan on Friday, as Tokyo revamps its military in response to Chinese maritime ambitions.
Unless Congress intervenes within a month to halt the $1.2 billion deal, US defence giant Northrop Grumman will supply the pilotless aircraft and their sensor array. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency said the sale of the RQ-4 drone, already in wide use with US forces, would not tip the military balance in the region.