Japan boosts defence with new cruise missile acquisition
Japan has requested to purchase more AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles from the American government, and this request has been approved. We present what exactly the Land of the Rising Sun will receive.
The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the Pentagon announced approval for a potential sale to Japan for a maximum amount of $39 (£31) million. This deal includes 16 AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles, AGM-158 JASSM Dummy Air Training Missiles (DATM), containers, receivers for the JASSM Anti-Jam Global Positioning System (JAGR), and a logistics package including training and spare parts.
It's important to note that the final contract value, as is often the case with DSCA approvals, is expected to be lower. The missiles will be manufactured at the Lockheed Martin facilities in Orlando, Florida. This missile delivery represents a considerable enhancement for the main ally driving political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region. This is another missile purchase following August 2023, when Japan acquired 50 missiles for $104 (£83) million.
AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles - a weapon of significant importance
The AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles entered the USAF arsenal in 2014 and are an improvement over the earlier AGM-158 JASSM missiles. The primary enhancement involved extending the range to nearly 1,000 kilometres while maintaining the same body structure.
Similar to competing missiles like the TAURUS KEPD 350 or Storm Shadow, the JASSM and their ER version are designed with stealth technology and have identical dimensions: a length of a little over four metres, a wingspan of about three metres, and a weight exceeding one tonne. These missiles are adapted for launching from aircraft, and in the case of Japanese aviation, their carriers are F-15Js.
The difference between JASSM versions lies in the increased fuel capacity and more efficient engine in the ER version. Both types of missiles are equipped with the same warhead, a penetrative WDU-42/B weighing 432 kilograms, which can explode upon impact with the target, with a delay, or in the air, showering a significant area with deadly fragments.
The precise arrival of the warhead at the target, with an accuracy of less than three metres, is ensured by a navigation system using both satellite and inertial navigation in tandem, supported in the final phase by an optoelectronic head with a fourth-generation infrared sensor that detects the thermal image of the target. As a result, a highly effective system has emerged, posing a challenge even to countries possessing modern air defence systems.
