Japan Reveals Hypersonic Weapons Development Plan

Japan has revealed plans to develop a hypersonic cruise missile (HCM) and a Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) to equip its fighter jets to take on land or sea based targets.

The information was revealed in a blueprint published by Japan’s Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency last week.

Tokyo is targeting the induction of HCM powered by scramjet engine, and HVGP powered by solid-fuel rocket engine, in early 2030s.

The blueprint stipulates using different warheads, which will be navigated via satellites, to tackle seaborne and ground targets. The warhead’s land-attack version will feature a high-density explosively formed projectile (EFP) for area suppression purposes. The other warhead will be specifically designed to penetrate “the deck of an aircraft carrier.”

The warheads will be guided either through radio-frequency imaging converted from doppler shift data to enable identification of stealthy naval targets, or via an infrared seeker capable to discriminating specific targets.

The plan to equip Japanese F-2 fighters with domestically-produced hypersonic anti-ship missiles was reported by the local media in 2017. The hypersonic missiles would reportedly be able to fly three times faster than the speed of sound and would replace previous transonic missiles.