Japan Aegis Ashore to cost $1-bil. each

[Khafee]

Onodera: An Aegis Ashore to cost $1-bil. each
December 12, 2017

Japan's Defense Ministry officials say 2 new missile defense batteries slated to be bought in the near future are expected to cost nearly one-billion dollars a set.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera spoke in a meeting of lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party involved in defense affairs on Tuesday.

He said his ministry plans to introduce 2 sets of the ground-based Aegis Ashore missile intercept system and have their costs included in this year's supplementary budget and next year's budget bills.

Ministry officials explained that the exact price tag will depend on factors such as the type of equipment and radar, but a set is estimated to cost nearly one-billion dollars.

Japan's plan to equip its fighter jets with long-range cruise missiles was also discussed. Some participants said it should be made clear that they are not intended to attack military bases in other countries.

Another view was that careful explanations should be given in the Diet that they will be exclusively for defense.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171212_27/

 

[Khafee]

Govt. approves new missile defense systems
19 Dec 2017
1 hour ago

The Japanese government has approved the deployment of 2 new land-based missile defense systems.

The installation of Aegis Ashore systems in 2 locations across Japan was approved at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The decision to bolster the nation's defence capabilities comes in response to an acceleration of North Korea's missile development program.

Pyongyang is focused on improving its missile launch capabilities by firing multiple missiles simultaneously, as well as launching them on a lofted trajectory or at a steeper angle than usual.

An example of this was seen last month when North Korea test-fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile with an extended range.

Japan's Aegis Ashore system will use a new type of missile interceptor jointly developed with the United States. Officials say that the 2 systems will place the entire Japanese nation under their coverage.

Two Ground Self-Defense Force's training areas -- one in Akita City in northern Japan and the other in Hagi City in western Japan -- are among sites being considered for deployment.

A single system is estimated to cost 888 million dollars. The government plans to include about 25 million dollars in this fiscal year's supplementary budget to cover the cost of technical assistance from the US.

It will also request more than 6 million dollars to pay for the system's basic design in the next fiscal year's budget.

It is expected to take around 5 years for the government to put the new systems into operation.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171219_12/

 

[Khafee]

Japan to expand ballistic missile defense with ground-based Aegis batteries
Reuters Staff
DECEMBER 19, 2017

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan formally decided on Tuesday it would expand its ballistic missile defense system with U.S.-made ground-based Aegis radar stations and interceptors in response to a growing threat from North Korean rockets.

A proposal to build two Aegis Ashore batteries was approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet.

The sites without the missiles will likely cost at least $2 billion and are not likely to be operational until 2023 at the earliest, sources familiar with the plan told Reuters earlier.

“North Korea’s nuclear missile development poses a new level of threat to Japan and as we have done in the past we will ensure that we are able to defend ourselves with a drastic improvement in ballistic missile defense,” Japanese Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The decision to acquire the ground version of the Aegis missile-defense system, which is already deployed on Japanese warships, was widely expected.

North Korea on Nov. 29 tested a new, more powerful ballistic missile that it says can hit major U.S. cities including Washington, and fly over Japan’s current defense shield.

That rocket reached an altitude of more than 4,000 km (2,485 miles), well above the range of interceptor missiles on Japanese ships operating in the Sea of Japan.

North Korea says its weapons programs are necessary to counter U.S. aggression.

The new Aegis stations may not, however, come with a powerful radar, dubbed Spy-6, which is being developed by the United States.
Without it, Japan will not be able to fully utilize the extended range of a new interceptor missile, the SM-3 Block IIA, which cost about $30 million each.

A later upgrade, once the U.S. military has deployed Spy-6 on its ships around 2022, could prove a costly proposition for Japan as outlays on new equipment squeeze its military budget.

Initial funding will be ring-fenced in the next defense budget beginning in April, but no decision has been made on the radar, or the overall cost, or schedule, of the deployment, a Ministry of Defence official said at a press briefing.

Japan’s military planners also evaluated the U.S.-built THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system before deciding on Aegis Ashore.

Separately, Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera said this month Japan would acquire medium-range cruise missiles it can launch from its F-15 and F-35 fighters at sites in North Korea, in a bid to deter any attack.

The purchase of what will become the longest-range munitions in Japan’s military arsenal is controversial because it renounced the right to wage war against other nations in its post-World War Two constitution.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...th-ground-based-aegis-batteries-idUSKBN1ED051