According to an internal government document, Russia plans to deploy Bastion-P coastal defense units to two islands in the disputed Kuril Island chain, Kyodo News reported on August 2. Russian government officials have noted the systems have “already been moved and are now being prepared for operation.” The P-800 Oniks antiship missile which the Bastion-P...
In an August 27 news release, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of 73 Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptors to Japan. Co-developed by U.S. and Japanese contractors, the Block IIA is an extended-range variant of the SM-3 fitted with a 21-inch booster and upgraded kill vehicle. The deal is estimated to cost...
On August 2, North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles from Yonghung, on the country’s east coast. According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missiles flew approximately 220 km and reached an apogee of 25 km. The tests mark the third of its kind in eight days; North Korea launched large-caliber rockets on...
On July 30, North Korea tested two rockets near Wonsan on the country’s east coast. According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the projectiles reached a 30 km altitude and 250 km range. Briefed on the weapon’s performance, North Korean chairman Kim Jong Un reportedly “expressed satisfaction” with the test and warned...
On July 17, Japan’s Ministry of Defense issued a request for proposals to integrate the Mitsubishi Electric AAM-4B air-to-air missiles on its F-15J fighter fleet. Currently in service with Japan’s Mitsubishi F-2 multirole fighters, the AAM-4B medium-range missile is the first of its kind equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) seeker. The weapon...
On July 17, Japan launched its second Maya-class destroyer, JS Haguro (DDG-180), at a ceremony in Yokohama City. The vessel is the second ship of its class and the eighth Japan Marine Self-Defense Forces ship equipped with the Aegis Combat System. Fitted with the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) system, the destroyer will be capable of...
On July 9, Japan’s Ministry of Defense said it would share information from its planned Aegis Ashore sites with the United States. The Japanese government first announced plans to acquire the system in 2017 and aims to build two Aegis sites in Akita and Yamaguchi prefectures. Japan already operates several shipborne Aegis systems and co-develops...
In late June 2019, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer Maya (DDG-179) completed its second round of sea trials. The Maya-class is an improved variant of the Atago-class destroyer equipped with the Aegis Baseline J7 (Baseline 9) ballistic missile defense system. Optimized for missile defense, Maya will be equipped with the U.S.-Japanese-developed SM-3 Block...
On June 12, Japanese Ministry of Defense officials confirmed plans to study a space-based early missile warning system by testing an experimental infrared sensor in 2020. According to Sankei Shimbun, Tokyo will mount the two-color sensor on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s Advanced Optical Satellite-3 (ALOS-3), an imaging satellite. Japan began research on two-color...
In their fourth “two-plus-two” dialogue, Japanese and Russian foreign and defense ministers failed to reach consensus over disputed island territories north of Japan. Both countries highlighted missile activity as a key issue. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono stated that Russian missile exercises and aircraft deployments on the islands were “unacceptable,” while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei...
