Japanese authorities have presented the two complementary hypersonic weapons development programs to strengthen their defensive capabilities, especially against China, Russia, and North Korea, which just last week fired ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. The first program is based on a hypersonic cruise missile with anti-ship capabilities, while the second is a hypersonic glider comparable to the Russian Avangard or the Chinese DF17. Not having anti-missile systems capable of neutralizing the threat posed by the new Russian or Chinese hypersonic missiles, the Japanese authorities have chosen to develop their defensive capabilities in mirror image, so as to represent an equivalent threat vis-à-vis of a potential aggressor.
The first program is a hypersonic cruise missile that can be used against both naval and land targets. The missile will use an aerobic engine of the scramjet type, suggesting that it will have a significant range, compatible with the great engagement distances of the Pacific theater. It is designed to be able to "pierce" the bridge of an aircraft carrier, a precision however superfluous in view of the kinetic energy released by the impact of a missile of more than 2 tons flying at more than Mach 5 , sufficient on its own to cut a large warship in half.
The rest of this article is for subscribers only
The Classic subscriptions provide access to
all articles without advertising, starting at € 1,99.
Newsletter subscription
Register for the Meta-Defense Newsletter to receive the
latest fashion articles daily or weekly