Japan is considering building a large ship capable of carrying missile interceptors to replace the U.S. land-based Aegis anti-missile system to counter missile threats from North Korea and China, Japanese media quoted a government source as saying.
According to a Sunday (November 1) report by the Japanese media Kyodo News, the switch to a ship-based missile defense system is part of an effort to counter the missile threat from North Korea. In addition to responding to North Korean ballistic missiles, the proposed large ships equipped with interceptors would also intercept China’s advanced cruise missiles as China becomes more active in the East China Sea, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that day, citing several Japanese government officials.
Previously, the Japanese government officially announced on June 15 that it would halt the deployment of the U.S.-based land-based Aegis anti-missile system in Japan, taking into account cost, technology, and other factors. However, the Japanese government is not stopping the introduction of this upgraded version of the ABM system. In September, Japanese media quoted government sources as saying that Japan will continue to introduce the two land-based Aegis systems previously ordered from the U.S. and plans to install them on dedicated ships. A dedicated ship equipped with the land-based Aegis anti-missile system is said to be relatively inexpensive to build, and the ship-based Aegis system, because it can be deployed on a mobile basis, is more effective than the land-based Aegis anti-missile system. “The system must be good.
Japan’s plans to build a large sea-based Aegis destroyer have been made clearer by reports in the Japanese media on November 1.
Japan’s existing sea-based “Aegis” destroyers, also known as sea-based “Aegis” destroyers, is the “Aegis” anti-missile system deployed on the destroyer. According to government sources, the main equipment of the planned large Aegis destroyer includes the SPY-7 radar and missile launch system. In order to maintain balance, the width of the hull must be expanded. It is expected to be the largest of the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis-capable ships.
Japan’s Moye-class S.H.I.E.L.D. ships are the largest of the country’s current S.H.I.E.L.D. ships, measuring 170 meters long and 21 meters wide, with a standard displacement of 8,200 tons. According to Kyodo News, several government sources have said that the Japanese government plans to expand the new S.H.I.E.L.D. by several meters and increase the ship’s displacement to about 9,000 tons.
As China intensifies its maritime activities in the East China Sea, maritime patrols could last for more than a month once at sea, and the enlarged hull could improve living space for Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) personnel.
However, some Japanese defense experts have questioned the ability of such large offshore platforms to withstand bad weather. There are also concerns that the increased size of the ships will increase their cost.
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