Weapons

Japan Developing Missile to Strike Enemy Outside Air Defences' Reach – Report

The new missile is expected to be an upgraded version of the Japanese supersonic cruise missile ASM3 which was developed in 2017 and has a range of 200 kilometres.

Japan is developing a long-range cruise missile capable of attacking enemy targets outside the reach of its air defences, something that will be the first such weaponry in the country’s history, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported, citing Japanese Defence Ministry sources.

The so-called standoff missile, which will have a range of 400 kilometres and a speed of Mach 3, is expected to be used to attack enemy ships in the event of an immediate threat to Japanese territory.

The missile will be created on the basis of the ASM3 supersonic cruise missile which was completed in 2017 but failed to get into the procurement plan for the needs of the Japan Self-Defence Force for 2018 and 2019.