Japan plans to build giant missile defense ships
The WarZone edition not only explores history military equipment and its applications, but periodically publishes quite up-to-date reviews on the composition and capabilities of the armed forces of various countries. This time author Thomas Newdick turned his attention to the Japanese Navy. Officially, they are called the Maritime Self-Defense Forces, but the essence of this does not change. This is a powerful navy.
I did a search in Yandex on the topic "missile defense ships for the Japanese fleet” and found a couple of short articles, so I will not be a pioneer in this matter. But it’s still interesting to read, especially since this is a view from the side, so to speak, of a conditional enemy. The article is written easily, the translation turned out to be almost verbatim. So.
“The Japanese Ministry of Defense has provided more details on plans to build two capital ships as part of a broader missile defense program. The ships are to replace plans to install the Aegis Ashore ground system. The as-yet-unnamed missile defense ships are expected to have a standard displacement of around 20 tons - more than double that of current Aegis-equipped Maya-class destroyers - potentially making them the largest Japanese surface combatants since World War II. .
In its Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request, Japan's Ministry of Defense laid out a proposal to fund two new warships from a total requirement of around $39,7 billion, up from $38,4 billion for Fiscal 2022. According to unconfirmed Japanese media reports, the cost of the two new ships could be $7,1 billion, significantly more than the expected cost of the two Aegis Ashore systems by about $4,3 billion. Overall, Japan's defense budget has grown steadily in recent years, reflecting the growing importance given to the country's military and the rapidly evolving threats posed by both North Korea and China.
Speaking last week, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said using the two new large ships as missile defense would allow other Aegis-powered destroyers to focus on other important tasks, such as defending against potential Chinese maritime incursions.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (or JMSDF) fleet with the Aegis system currently consists of two Maya-class destroyers, two Atago-class destroyers, and four Kongō-class destroyers. The last Maya-class warships are variants of the Atago class, which in turn is descended from the Kongō class, the Japanese version of the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
According to figures released by the Nikkei, the warships are expected to be about 690 feet long and about 130 feet wide. That compares to just over 557 feet long and about 73 feet wide for the Maya class, the latest Aegis destroyers to enter service with the Maritime Defense Forces. These warships have a standard displacement of about 10 tons.
Previous reports suggested that the new warships would be much closer in size to the Maya class, with a standard displacement of around 9 tons. This, in turn, led to the speculation that they could be built on a modified Maya-class body.
In fact, in terms of size, the new missile defense ships will be more comparable to the Izumo-class helicopter destroyers, which are currently the largest combat ships of the Self-Defense Forces and are just under 814 feet long, about 125 feet wide, displacement: empty - 19 tons with an increase to 800 tons at full load.
The proposed new warships would be broadly similar in size to the Kongō-class battlecruisers of World War II, which were 720 feet 6 inches long, 108 feet 7 inches wide and displaced 28 tons. This last figure, of course, includes a significant amount of armor protection that modern designs would not have.
It is important to note that the figures published so far reflect only the draft plan and are subject to change. The new ships will also become a key hub for US missile defense, making their procurement a priority for both the US and Japan.
“We believe this is an extremely important initiative to dramatically increase our defense capabilities within five years,”
- Hamada said about the new warships, noting that the process of their development is now accelerating.
Current plans call for the first of the new warships to enter service at the end of 2027 and the second at the end of 2028.
In general, however, it is not clear at this stage what the new warships will actually look like. Although previously described by the Japanese media as "super destroyers", there has recently been speculation that they will not repeat the same design used in the current Aegis warships.
Some concepts show that the new vessels will be built on a catamaran or multihull design that will increase stability, which is critical for optimal radar performance. Even more radical are the proposals to install a missile defense system on a non-self-propelled barge.
At the moment it seems that a single-hull ship will be used, however the final design may not necessarily have much in common with conventional destroyers or cruisers - as indicated by the relatively large planned beam of about 130 feet. One option could be a larger version of the hull used in the Izumo-class helicopter destroyers.
Note. The Japanese are still embarrassed to call these ships aircraft carriers or helicopter carriers and use the term "helicopter-carrying destroyer".
Defense Minister Hamada pointed to North Korea's expanding and increasingly powerful ballistic missile arsenal as a factor in the need for new warships. Not only can North Korea launch more and more ballistic missiles in a single salvo, they can now be produced from unexpected places thanks to developments in mobile ballistic missiles, both road and rail. North Korea is also actively developing new ballistic missiles for submarines. At the same time, their characteristics and flight profiles make them difficult to intercept. The new warships are expected to be able to intercept North Korean missiles (or missiles launched by other hostile powers) at high altitudes.
In addition to ballistic missiles, Hamada also said that the new warships will be equipped to intercept hypersonic gliders. weapons — a class of weapons found to be in China and Russia and also being developed by North Korea. According to The Nikkei, the ability to counter hypersonic glide weapons "will be added later," but no other details were given. As a rule, the interception of such targets, which fly at a speed of 5 Mach or more, is a serious problem.
Other key features of the new warships include a relatively small crew of 110, compared to about 300 on Maya-class destroyers.
It should be recalled here that the problem of the number of personnel of the ships of the self-defense forces was raised earlier. After all, one of the original reasons for choosing the Aegis Ashore was concern about the limited number of crews available to complete conventional ships. This problem is so important that the Marine Self-Defense Force is currently introducing a frigate-sized Mogami-class multipurpose "destroyer" to deal with the shortage of Marine Self-Defense Force personnel.
Other factors that could help reduce crew size are increased automation and combat missions that could potentially be limited by air and missile defenses.
At the same time, crew quarters are likely to be relatively well-equipped, making them more suitable for extended deployments at sea.
While the new warships may not bear much resemblance to the Aegis currently in service, Japan's Ministry of Defense has confirmed that they will nonetheless take over the bulk of the missile defense duties currently assigned to these destroyers.
Most likely, the centerpiece of each of the two new warships will be the Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-7 long-range radar, designed to protect against ballistic missiles. These are the same radars that were originally planned to be used in the Japanese Aegis Ashore systems.
SPY-7 radar
Work on a planned pair of Aegis Ashore ground systems was put on hold in 2020 amid technical problems, rising costs and internal criticism. The latter included fears that fragments of intercepted missiles could fall into Japanese territory and cause damage or injury, which could undermine the whole idea of the anti-missile part of the system. The public is also seriously concerned about the potential health impacts from the high-powered radars of the Aegis Ashore system.
The missiles will be SM-3 MkIIA interceptors, which have a longer range than currently available SM-3 variants and are better able to counter a wider range of missile threats.
USS John Finn ballistic missile interception
It is also noteworthy that Japan is not the first country to decide to place SPY-7 on warships. Lockheed Martin is already supplying versions of the same radar for installation on future Canadian surface combatants, which will be based on the BAE Systems Type 26 frigate design, as well as on the forthcoming Spanish F110-class frigates. These designs are significantly smaller than Japan's proposed missile defense ships. However, the SPY-7 is a highly scalable radar system, so an installation designed to protect against ballistic missiles can be larger.
It may happen that Japan chooses an unusual solution, at least in part, for reasons of economy. In the past, Japan has studied special-purpose ships or offshore missile defense platforms, seeing them as a cheaper alternative to larger destroyers. Similar ideas were also incorporated into the American Missile Defense Ship, or ABM Ship, which was conceived by Huntington Ingalls Industries based on the existing hull of the San Antonio-class landing craft dock. The goal was to provide a significantly more powerful missile defense platform than the existing Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.
On the other hand, a missile defense ship based on some kind of offshore platform or even an adapted amphibious assault ship hull would be vulnerable to attack by anti-ship missiles or submarines. It is not clear what defenses and other weapons will be placed on the ships, as the focus so far has been on missile defense. This may lead to the need for destroyers and submarines to escort these vessels.
However, there are some indications that the missile defense ship could become a more versatile platform, or at least one that can retaliate with long-range cruise missiles against North Korean missile launchers, for example. Reports surfaced in Japanese media last month that officials may be trying to add a "counterattack capability" in the form of an upgraded version of the Type 12 surface-to-surface missile. They could potentially have a range of over 600 miles.
It will be interesting to see what kind of ships will emerge from the Japanese program. What is clear is that, once deployed, they will play an important role in the missile shield, which is expected to protect both US and Japanese interests in a region where ballistic missiles are on the rise.”
Well, we'll see.
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