Japan Approved to Buy Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2B as Chinese Threat Grows

The U.S. State Department today approved a potential sale of Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2B tactical missiles to Japan in response to escalating tensions with China.

The Foreign Military Sale, valued at $360 million, includes 212 RIM-116E Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) and additional equipment to bolster Japan’s maritime defense capabilities. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) officially notified Congress of this development.

The sale aims to improve Japan’s ability to defend key air and sea routes in East Asia and the Western Pacific, providing enhanced area defense capabilities, according to a Pentagon statement.

The principal contractor for this sale will be RTX Corporation, based in Tucson, Arizona.

Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2B Capabilities

The RAM Block 2B is a supersonic, quick-reaction missile system designed to counter anti-ship missiles, helicopters, and aircraft. With enhanced kinematic and guidance improvements, the RAM Block 2B can handle fast, high-maneuver threats, ensuring greater survivability for ships under its protection. This "fire-and-forget" system utilizes passive radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) guidance to engage multiple threats simultaneously.

The missile is equipped with a larger rocket motor and an advanced RF receiver, which improves its ability to detect low-probability intercept radars used in modern anti-ship missiles. The RAM’s weight is 88 kg, with a length of 2.9 meters, a range exceeding 10 kilometers.

Regional Tensions with China

This defense upgrade comes as Japan faces increasing military pressure from China. In mid-September, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier and accompanying warships entered Japan’s contiguous zone, a maritime area where Japan exercises control. This event followed a series of incidents, including a violation of Japanese airspace by a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane and the unauthorized presence of a Chinese survey ship near Kagoshima.

Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Moriya condemned these actions, stating that they are unacceptable from both a national and regional security standpoint. Japanese defense officials have noted an increase in Chinese military operations near disputed islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China. Japan has ramped up its defenses in response, particularly around remote islands critical to its national security strategy.

China has defended its military actions, with its Foreign Ministry maintaining that they comply with both domestic and international law.