Japan to Upgrade Aegis Destroyer Intercept Capabilities
18:01 JST, June 1, 2023
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — New Aegis destroyers to be deployed to the Maritime Self-Defense Force are set to have the most advanced missile intercept capabilities among MSDF Aegis destroyers, Defense Ministry sources told Jiji Press Thursday.
The new destroyers will be equipped with more vertical launchers, allowing them to fire over 30% more interceptor missiles than existing destroyers, the sources said. A vertical launching system can fire 128 missiles.
In April, the ministry concluded a contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. for the detailed design of the lead ship of the new destroyers. For the second vessel, the ministry last month sealed a deal with Japan Marine United Corp.
The new Aegis destroyers “must have far more advanced intercept capabilities than existing Aegis destroyers to respond to North Korean ballistic missiles that reach several thousand kilometers in altitude and multiple simultaneous missile launches,” a ministry source said.
The new destroyers will be equipped with Standard Missile-3 Block 2A missiles, jointly developed by Japan and the United States, that are believed to be capable of intercepting a missile at an altitude of over 1,000 kilometers, twice that of conventional interceptor missiles.
The destroyers will also have SM-6 missiles designed to shoot down hypersonic glide weapons.
The ministry has no plans at present to install U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles on the new Aegis destroyers. Still, a government source said that the destroyers would be able to additionally install a system so that Tomahawk missiles can be fired from the VLS.
The ministry plans to commission the lead vessel in fiscal 2027 and the second in fiscal 2028. For fiscal 2023, which started last April, it earmarked ¥220.8 billion in related spending.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
China Firm ‘Developed System to Manipulate Public Opinion’; Leaked Information Describes Hijacking Social Media Accounts (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan, U.S., S. Korea Coast Guards Sign Pledge to Strengthen Cooperation
-
Japan’s Opposition Party CDPJ Sweeps 3 By-Elections in Lower House (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan Considering Bid to Join Australia’s Frigate Project; Boost to Domestic Defense Industry Expected
-
Japan’s LDP Battles to Avoid ‘Total Defeat’ in By-Elections; Opposition Party Guards against Overconfidence
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Weakening Yen Adds Complexity to BOJ’s Rate Hike Decisions; Rising Commodity Prices may Impact ‘Virtuous Cycle’ Efforts
- Japanese Seafood Exports to China Sink 57% in FY23; U.S. Becomes Largest Seafood Export Destination
- 70% of Japan Companies to Raise Pay Scales in FY 2024
- ASEAN Plus 3 Share Concerns About Excessive Exchange Rate Fluctuation; Seeking Stability in Exchange Rate
- Minutes Show Policymaker Wants BOJ to Consider Further Rate Hikes Further