Japan plans to build a large Aegis ship to counter the threat of Chinese missiles

Japanese media quoted government sources on the 1st November. In order to deal with missile threats from China and North Korea, Japan is considering building a large Aegis that can carry the Aegis Ashore missile defense system. Ship, the displacement increased to about 9,000 tons. The private enterprise commissioned by the Ministry of Defense will submit an interim report on the large scale Aegis ship as early as mid-November and the government will finalize the general direction of the alternative plan at the end of the year.

Based on cost, technology and other factors, Japan abandoned its land based Aegis deployment plan in June this year and turned to seek other alternatives. However, Japanese media quoted government sources in September as reporting that Japan will continue to introduce two land based Aegis systems ordered from the United States and install them on special ships. Plans for the construction of offshore platform type Aegis similar to offshore oil drilling platforms and the use of civilian ships are also considered. Currently, the evaluation is toward the construction of new Aegis ships.

Switching to the ship based missile defense system is part of Japan's countermeasures against the threat of North Korean missiles. However, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that as China’s activities in the East China Sea become more frequent, large ships equipped with land-based Aegis systems will also intercept China’s advanced cruise missiles and new Aegis ships can respond to enemy ships, submarines and fighter attacks. Self-protection ability.

Since the SPY-7 radar of the land-based Aegis is higher than the SPY-1D radar of the current Aegis, in order to maintain balance, the width of the hull must be enlarged. Once the maritime patrol goes to sea, it may last for more than a month. In order to reduce the burden on the crew expanding the hull will improve the living space of the Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel.

Currently, Japan's largest Aegis ship is the Maya-class frigate Haguro scheduled to enter service in March 2021. It is 170 meters long, 21 meters wide and has a standard displacement of 8,200 tons. However, the Voice of America (VOA) Chinese website reported that Japanese defense experts questioned the ability of such large offshore platforms to withstand severe weather and some people worry that the increase in the scale of ships will also lead to higher costs.

Haguro is the second ship of the Maya class frigate. It is equipped with a 96-unit Mk 41 vertical launch system. It can launch a variety of missiles including RIM-161 standard 3 anti-ballistic missiles and intercept ballistics that pose a threat to Japan missile.