U.S.-Japan SM-3 Interceptor Test Successful, Using Innovative Japanese Nosecone
March 8, 2006 :: The Missile Defense Agency :: News
The U.S. and Japan successfully test-launched a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) today from the Aegis-equipped cruiser USS Lake Erie near Hawaii. The SM-3 was equipped with an experimental nosecone, which is being jointly developed by the Missile Defense Agency and the Japanese Defense Agency.
The demonstration also tested prototypes for the rocket motor, but the primary test was of an innovative “clamshell” nosecone, designed by Japan to more quickly release the interceptor’s kill vehicle. In the standard configuration for previous tests, the SM-3 missile must maneuver to eject the barrel-shaped kill vehicle—a process known as “pitch and ditch.” The newer nosecone eliminates the need for such maneuvers, which in turn means the kinetic kill vehicle can collide with and destroy its target more quickly. The flight test did not involve an attempted intercept of a target missile, but simulated target data was instead fed into the computers of Aegis weapon system. Instead of a kill vehicle aboard the SM-3, its nosecone instead contained a camera and instruments to register temperature and shock readings during the flight. In today’s test, the nosecone was deployed at about 88 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean and 96 km northwest of the island of Kauai.
Japan has already decided to procure the SM-3 and the Aegis defense system for several of its Kongo class destroyers, as well as purchasing a number of Patriot (PAC-3) interceptors, and having received a license to produce others. Japan’s innovation in missile defense technologies is a further sign of growing international support for ballistic missile defense. (Article, Link)
» Defense News on SM-3 Test
» MDA Photos of SM-3 interceptor launch
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» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Aegis Cruiser Shiloh to be Based Near Japan in 2006
February 15, 2006 :: Kyodo :: News
The U.S. Navy will deploy its Aegis cruiser Shiloh to Japan later this year, reports Kyodo. According to Admiral Gary Roughead, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the 9,600-ton Shiloh will replace a similar ship already stationed in Japan, and will be armed with Standard Missile-3 interceptors. The move falls in line with the Defense Department’s plan for a greater military presence in the Pacific, outlined in its Quadrennial Defense Review issued earlier this month. In the QDR, the Pentagon singled out China as having the “greatest potential” to compete with the United States militarily, while keeping its eye on North Korea’s threat of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism in Southeast Asia. (Article, Link)
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Japan Looking into Space Forces
January 24, 2006 :: Kyodo :: News
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to study the feasibility of relaxing Japan’s restrictions on deploying space forces for defense purposes. According to the Kyodo Japanese news agency, the LDP will seek to deploy defense forces in space as long as they are not aimed at invading or spying other countries. The party plans to set up a special subcommittee to discuss the matter, which will convene in late January. The subcommittee will be headed by Takeo Kawamura, a House of Representatives member of the LDP and the former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The party will recommend to the government as early as August 2006 that a 1969 Diet resolution limiting Japan’s space development be changed to allow defense purposes. (Article, Link)
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Japan to Buy 36 SM-3 Interceptors
January 10, 2006 :: Kyodo :: News
Japan plans to purchase 36 sea-based Standard Missile-3 interceptors from the U.S. between 2007 and 2010 for deployment on Aegis-equipped destroyers. According to Japanese government sources quoted by Kyodo, Japan will buy approximately nine SM-3 interceptors a year during this period, although specific details have yet to be ironed out. Japan’s Defense Agency hopes to complete the deployment of its first SM-3 interceptors on the destroyer Kongo by the end of 2007, followed by deployment on three other warships: the Chokai, the Myoko, and the Kirishima. Japan will also consider installing the missile defense system on two new destroyers that are being built in Nagasaki. (Article, Link)
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» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Capabilities of Japanese Ship-Based Defenses
January 1, 2006 :: News
The U.S. and Japan are moving forward on the joint Aegis ship-based missile defense program, reports Defense Daily. The Missile Defense Agency plans to conduct a test of the Standard Missile-3 in March 2006, which could accelerate development of the missile. The SM-3, the interceptor for the ship-based Aegis defense system, features a two-color seeker, advanced signal processing, and a new divert and attitude control system. As noted by Rear Admiral Brad Hicks, commander and program director, the SM-3 will significantly increase the area a ship can defend and increase the kill probability against a larger threat. At present, Japan has committed to deploy SM-3 interceptors on one destroyer and three other ships. (Link)
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» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Japan To Cover One Third of Cost
December 15, 2005 :: AP :: News
Japan will shoulder between one third and one half of the cost of building a joint missile defense shield with the U.S. According to officials inside Japan’s Defense Agency, Tokyo and Washington are still negotiating exactly how much each country will cover, although Japan expects to shoulder at least $1 billion of the estimated $3 billion total cost. A central element of the joint missile defense shield is the sea-based Standard Missile-3 interceptor, which will be deployed on Aegis destroyers to defend Japan from ballistic missile attack. (Link)
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» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)
Japan Plans to Acquire 124 PAC-3 Interceptors for Defense
November 14, 2005 :: Kyodo :: News
The Japanese Defense Agency is planning to acquire 124 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) defensive interceptor missiles by fiscal 2010. The first 32 interceptors will be purchased from the United States, designed to be deployed at the military air bases perhaps as early as next year, and the remainder domestically produced in Japan. The move represents a very salutary and promising shift in international acceptance of the threat from ballistic missiles and the need to pursue active defense systems.
Kyodo reports that the missiles will be able to hit cruise missiles at an altitude of up to 20 kilometers, and that they will supplement the sea-based interceptors that will be a part of Japan’s defensive system based on Aegis destroyers, also of US origin. “Defensive coverage is limited and other areas (not covered) will be dependent on interception from Aegis ships,” a senior military officer is quoted as saying.
The missiles imported from the United States are said to cost around 500 million yen each, but the remainder will be produced by the domestic Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. company which is licensed to produce the interceptors. The joint production deal with Mitsubishi implements an agreement that was signed in March whereby the Bush administration authorized Japan to co-produce Patriots.
The plans for deployment include Tokyo and six other major urban centers, as well as four military bases in Saitama, Shizuoka, Gifu and Fukuoka prefectures; the bases will each receive four PAC-3 launch systems between 2006 and 2010. There will also be a total of two backup units overall. Of these 18 systems, 15 of them will have eight missiles each. (Article, Link)
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Text of U.S.-Japan Alliance Report
November 1, 2005 :: Kyodo :: News
The Japanese Kyodo news agency provides the full text of the “US-Japan Alliance: Transformation and Realignment for the Future,” the interim report on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, adopted Saturday by Japan and the United States. The 14-page report has been called one of the most significant in decades between the two countries.
As it relates to ballistic missile defense, the report notes that there will be considerable cooperation, potential deployments of Patriot and SM-3 interceptors, and the near-term deployment of an X-band radar, which would be useful for the detection and tracking of a missile launched against either Japan or the U.S. Some excerpts:
- Emphasizing that BMD plays a critical role in deterring and defending against ballistic missile attacks, and can dissuade other parties from development and proliferation of ballistic missiles, both sides stressed the value of closely coordinating improvements in their respective BMD capabilities. To support these BMD systems, they emphasized the critical importance of constant information gathering and sharing, as well as maintaining high readiness and interoperability in light of the minimal time available to respond to a ballistic missile threat. The US will deploy additional complementary capabilities in and around Japan when appropriate, coordinating their operations to support Japan’s missile defense operations. Close coordination between respective BMD command and control systems will be critical to effective missile defense operations.
- The optimum site for deployment in Japan of a new US X-Band radar system will be examined. Through timely information sharing, this radar will support capabilities to intercept missiles directed at Japan and capabilities for Japan’s civil defense and consequence management. In addition, as appropriate, the US will deploy active defenses, such as Patriot PAC-3 and Standard Missile (SM-3) to support US treaty commitments.
Full text of report: (More »»»)
» Full text via BBC Monitoring
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» Missile system details for: Forward-Based X-Band Radar-Transportable
Japan Base Could Host U.S. Forward Deployed X-Band Radar
October 17, 2005 :: Asahi Shimbun :: News
Japan may allow the United States to deploy the new FBX mobile radar on its territory, according to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. The deployment of such radar on Japanese territory for the potential use of defending against a missile attack on the United States is controversial because some see it as violating the Japanese constitution and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty.
The deployment is important, however, for the detection and tracking capabilities of the more advanced and longer-range X-band radar. Such detection would be important to a missile attack launched from within the Eurasian continent against either Japan or the United States. From Asahi Shimbun:
The primary candidate site for the radar system is the Air Self-Defense Force’s Shariki air station in Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, Japanese government sources said.
They said the radar system being considered is a U.S-developed X-band radar that is more advanced than the system Japan is scheduled to install in fiscal 2008 to guard against medium-range ballistic missiles.
The X-band radar has a longer detection range, enabling it to respond to ballistic missiles launched from deep within a continent, and is also capable of differentiating missile shapes.
The United States successfully completed an experiment in September in which the X-band radar distinguished between decoy and ballistic missiles.
Plans call for the deployment of one X-band radar system in the current fiscal year.
In talks in the summer of 2004 concerning the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan, American officials formally proposed the deployment of the X-band radar in Japan to protect the United States from ballistic missile attacks. …
The Shariki air station is being considered a candidate site because it is located in an area capable of detecting missiles North Korea may launch at the United States.
Although the United States would likely share in the usage of Shariki air station, no specific date has been set for deployment of the radar system.
Japan and the United States have already reached an agreement in principle to move the ASDF’s Air Defense Command from Tokyo’s Fuchu to the U.S. military’s Yokota Air Base as part of plans to implement a joint missile defense system.
The plans call for establishing a joint tactical center at Yokota where the Air Defense Command could share information with the 5th Air Force of the United States based at Yokota.
The alleged capabilities of the FBX-T to track missiles launched from “deep within” the continent could plausibly be integrated into a system of interceptors capable of defending against Chinese missiles. (Article, Link)
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» Missile system details for: Forward-Based X-Band Radar-Transportable
Japan to Deploy Additional 18 Patriots by 2011
October 10, 2005 :: Kyodo :: News
Japan will deploy some eighteen Patriot Missiles around the country by 2011, reports the Kyodo news service, citing the Japanese Defense Agency. “It is desirable to put PAC-3s in place at all of our 24 air defense artilleries nationwide. We need more than 30 PAC-3s to defend the entire airspace of Japan,” Kyodo quotes a senior official at the Air Self-Defense Force as saying. The official added that Japan needs more than thirty to defend the nation from limited, short range attacks. According to Kyodo, the additional deployment of eighteen PAC-3s will bring the count to 32, implying that Japan already has some fourteen interceptors. Whether these fourteen are all PAC-3s or if the number includes some less-advanced PAC-2 interceptors is not clarified.
The Japanese are able to develop the additional Patriot interceptors because of an agreement reached with the United States in March which gives Japan a license to do so.
Also left unclear from the reports is whether the numbers refer to the missiles themselves or, as seems more likely, to batteries of missiles. To spread thirty-two missiles over twenty four locations would mean many air bases would have only a single interceptor—not much of a defense. (Article, Link)
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