Various alternatives to land-based Aegis systems proposed by the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
On August 31, the Ministry of Defense of Japan announced the application documents for the defense budget for fiscal year 2023. Among them, the "Aegis system carrying ship", that is, the construction of large surface ships, is particularly interesting. According to Japanese media reports, the planned two new Aegis ships have a standard displacement of 20,000 tons, which will be one of the largest surface ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , and will be used for maritime air defense and anti-missile patrols. The two ships are expected to enter service by 2027 and 2028, respectively. Why did Japan propose to build two new ships with completely different specifications from the existing Aegis destroyer ?
is equipped with land-based Aegis system
In December 2017, the Japanese government announced the introduction of two US-made land-based Aegis systems on the grounds of responding to the North Korean ballistic missile threat. Akita Prefecture . However, this deployment plan was strongly opposed by the local population and was eventually suspended in 2020. Subsequently, the Japanese Ministry of Defense proposed a variety of alternatives, including the separate deployment of radar and anti-missile interceptors, the construction of offshore platforms to accommodate land-based Aegis systems or new Aegis ships. In the end, the Japanese Ministry of Defense decided to build two new surface ships that can be equipped with land-based Aegis systems.
It can be seen that the new Aegis ship can be seen as an alternative to the land-based Aegis system deployment project. According to relevant sources from the Ministry of Defense of Japan, the final cost of the two new ships will far exceed the 400 billion yen (about 19.44 billion yuan) for the purchase of the land-based Aegis system.
highlights long-range strike capability
Compared with the 8 Aegis destroyers currently in service in Japan, the two new ships have the following characteristics. The
radar has a wider detection range. The shipborne Aegis system uses AN/SPY-1 passive phased array radar, while the ground-based Aegis system is equipped with AN/SPY-7 solid-state phased array radar, which has higher resolution and higher resolution than the previous radar. The anti-electronic interference capability is stronger, and at the same time, it has obvious advantages in terms of running time, detection distance and height. The detection range of the two systems can cover the whole area of Japan. In January of this year, the of Lockheed Martin of the United States has completed the integration demonstration of this type of radar and the Japanese land-based Aegis weapon system.
has stronger anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities. Japan's latest Maya-class Aegis destroyer is equipped with "Standard"-3 IA anti-missile interceptor and "Standard"-2 air defense missile, which can intercept mid-range and long-range ballistic missiles within a range of 500 kilometers, and can intercept 167 thousand Air defense interception of air targets within meters. The new ship will be equipped with the "Standard"-3 IIA anti-missile interceptor jointly developed by Japan and the United States. The maximum interception distance is doubled to 1,500 kilometers on the existing basis. In addition, it can also carry the "Standard"-6 shipborne air defense missile. Increases the air defense distance of maritime formations to 370 kilometers. It can be seen that the air defense and anti-missile capability of the new ship is stronger than that of the Aegis ship currently in service in Japan.
long-range anti-ship and land strike capabilities appear. The active "Aegis" destroyers are mainly equipped with " Harpoon ", 90-type, 17-type anti-ship missiles, which can strike at sea targets within 124 kilometers, 150 kilometers and 250 kilometers respectively, and do not have sea-based long-range Anti-ship capability. In addition, restricted by the policy of "dedicated defense", Japanese ships after World War II and were not equipped with land-strike missiles and did not have long-range land-strike capabilities. The new ship will be equipped with an improved version of the Type 12 shore-to-ship missile being developed by Japan, which can carry out long-range strikes on sea and land targets at a distance of 900 to 1,500 kilometers. This is also the first time that Japanese ships have long-range land strike capabilities after the war, exposing the ambitions of the Maritime Self-Defense Force .
Seeking maritime combat advantages
After the two new Aegis ships are commissioned, the combat capability of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will be significantly improved.
First, the ballistic missile defense force is more complete. With the commissioning of two new ships, plus eight Aegis destroyers and Patriot-3 systems currently in service, Japan will build a defense system combining multi-layer detection and multi-layer interception to form a more complete ballistic missile system Defensive strength, weakening opponent's ballistic missile capabilities.
Second, the long-range strike capability is stronger. The improved 12-type shore-to-ship missile carried by the new ship will fill the gap in Japan's long-range land strike capability. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force can use the new ship to attack important targets such as command agencies, airports, ports, and combat troops in the enemy's coastal areas. It can also be deployed forward to the enemy's surrounding waters to attack deep targets such as medium and long-range missile launch positions, and weaken the enemy's air defense, anti-missile and land-based anti-ship capabilities.
Third, the sea-based anti-ship equipment system has been perfected. After the new ship is commissioned, Japan's sea-based anti-ship equipment system is more complete, and it can carry out near, medium and long-range anti-ship combat missions. It is worth noting that Japan is also actively promoting the airborne long-range anti-ship missile project based on the improved version of the 12-type shore-to-ship missile, intending to build a trinity of land, sea and air long-range anti-ship firepower configuration, and carry out multi-directional strikes on enemy surface formations. .
It can be seen that the installation of Japan's new Aegis ships will enhance the Maritime Self-Defense Force's combat capabilities in air defense, anti-missile, anti-ship, and land strikes, and is a major weapon for it to seek maritime combat advantages.
The standard displacement of Japanese Aegis destroyers in service is 7250 to 8200 tons. Although the largest Izumo-class helicopter carrier has the same displacement as the new ship, the difference in the combat positioning of the two will inevitably lead to differences in the shape and layout of the ship , and the reference value is limited. According to the actual construction cycle and experience of Japanese large-tonnage surface ships, it is unlikely that Japan will complete the design, construction and installation of new ships before 2027. Japan's new ship construction plan has the suspicion of "big thunder and little rain", and it is more of a campaign to expand the budget and revise the national security strategy.
Source: China National Defense News
