Reports indicate that Japan’s Navy will outfit at least two of its Maya-class destroyers with SM-6 missiles, furthering Japan’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) initiative. Launched on July 30, JS Maya (DDG-179) is outfitted with the Aegis ballistic missile defense system, and is scheduled to conduct an SM-6 interception test in the United States around 2022. The SM-6 became operational in 2014.