TOKYO, Nov 23: The United States has agreed in principle to Japan’s licensed production of US-developed surface-to-air missiles which will become the core of a joint missile defence system, a report said. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the top Japanese defence contractor, is expected to start building Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) missiles on license from US Lockheed Martin Corp. in the year to March 2006, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. Officials at the Defence Agency or Mitsubishi were not immediately available to comment on the report. The PAC-3 is a US army surface-to-air guided missile capable of intercepting missiles including North Korea’s Rodong, which has a range of about 1,300 kilometers (810 miles). Japan plans to deploy in the year to March 2008 an anti-missile shield consisting of the land-based PAC-3 as well as the seaborne Standard Missile 3 (SM-3). SM-3s intercept ballistic missiles when they reach their highest point outside of the atmosphere and PAC-3 missiles are used to destroy missiles that evade SM-3 attacks. (AFP)
By: J33Nelson - 30th November 2004 at 05:37
“SM-3s intercept ballistic missiles when they reach their highest point outside of the atmosphere and PAC-3 missiles are used to destroy missiles that evade SM-3 attacks. (AFP)”
I wonder what ships will get the SM-3 in Japan. The Kongo class or new build classes?
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November 23, 2004 at 10:34 am