Click here - to select or create a menu

Naval News

DSEI Japan 2023
  • News
  • Event News
    • SNA 2023
    • Euronaval 2022
    • Indo Pacific 2022
    • Sea Air Space 2022
    • DIMDEX 2022
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Advertising
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Home» News»Japan to Field New ASM-3A Long Range Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile
ASM-3 anti-ship missile on JASDF F-2 Fighter
JASDF F-2 fighter from Gifu air base in a test flight with two ASM-3 missiles in February 2020. Picture by local photographer Takeru Sugiyama.

Japan to Field New ASM-3A Long Range Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile

On December 25, 2020, Japan's Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced that it would include the procurement cost of the new "ASM-3A" supersonic anti-ship missile in its defense budget request for fiscal year 2021.

Yoshihiro Inaba 30 Dec 2020

Extended range version of ASM-3 is being mass produced in response to China's maritime expansion.

Story by Yoshihiro Inaba with additional reporting by Xavier Vavasseur

The ASM-3A announcement was made as part of a broader announcement in which the MoD published the “Results of the Selection of New Critical Equipment“.

XASM-3

ASM-3 anti-ship missile on JASDF F-2 Fighter
JASDF F-2 fighter from Gifu air base in a test flight with two ASM-3 missiles in February 2020. Picture by local photographer Takeru Sugiyama.

For the record, Japan started full-scale development of a missile called XASM-3 in FY2010 that can be operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (航空自衛隊, Kōkū Jieitai or JASDF) F-2 fighter jets. The XASM-3 was an air-launched anti-ship missile (ASM) that cruised at supersonic speeds (above Mach 3) thanks an Integral Rocket Ramjet engine. It had a range of about 200 km (108 nautical miles).

In 2017, a live-fire test was conducted using a decommissioned JMSDF vessel. The development was completed in 2018 and procurement would begin in fiscal year 2019 as ASM-3.

ASM-3 (改)

Japanese MoD image showing the operational concept of ASM-3 (改). The extended range of the missile allows the F-2 fighters to stay at stand off range of the enemy ships’ air defenses.

However, in order to respond to the increasing performance of air defense systems fitted aboard Chinese navy surface vessels, the actual procurement of the ASM-3 was postponed. It was decided to develop the ASM-3 (改). 改 stands for modified. This version is based on the ASM-3 and has an even longer range.

The Japanese MoD made awarded in 2020 a 8.9 billion yen ($85 million) contract to local defense company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the the development of ASM-3 (改). The development of the ASM-3 (改) will be carried out from FY2020 to FY2025.

In order to reduce costs and shorten the development period, the size of the main body will remain unchanged from the ASM-3, and the range will be extended by reducing the overall weight of the missile.

ASM-3A

ASM-3 anti-ship missile on JASDF F-2 Fighter
Close up view of a XASM-3 anti-ship missile on a JASDF F-2 figther. JASDF F-2 fighter from Gifu air base in a test flight with two ASM-3 missiles in February 2020. Picture by local photographer Takeru Sugiyama.

The ASM-3A, which mass production has just been announced, is said to be a missile that reflects the results of the development process of the ASM-3 (改), but its details are unknown. However, the development of the ASM-3 (改) has just started this year, and therefore it is thought that this missile may actually have a slightly extended range compared to the ASM-3.

It is important to note that the development of the ASM-3 (改) will continue even after the ASM-3A goes into mass production, thus the ASM-3A is considered to be a stop-gap solution to counter China’s naval threats.

JSM, LRASM & ASM-3 anti-ship missiles for JASDF

Under current plans, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) will deploy three different types of modern anti-ship missiles:

  • the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for the F-35,
  • the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) for the modernized F-15J/DJ fleet,
  • the extended-range ASM-3A for the F-2.

Advantages of fielding various anti-ship missile types

ASM-3 test launch. ATLA picture.

The main reason why the JSDF deploys multiple types of anti-ship missiles is to ensure that the combination of the characteristics of each missile can break through enemy air defense systems. For example, the JSM has the advantage of being hard to detect by enemy radar through sea skimming, but its range is not very long (between 100 and 300 nautical miles depending on mission profile). The LRASM on the other hand offers a much longer range (about 432 nautical miles), but its flight speed is still subsonic. The ASM-3A will break through the enemy’s air defense system at the supersonic speed of about Mach 3, but it range will likely be less compared to LRASM.

However, if two or three of these new generation anti-ship missiles are operated in combination, the targeted adversary will have to take into account each missile’s characteristics, which will place a heavy load on its air defense systems.

In addition to these new air launched ASM for the JASDF, the ground forces (JGSDF) are also developing a new, extended range missile (reportedly with a range of 2,000 km or 1080 nautical miles). Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) is also developing a Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile and a Hyper-Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) which will be able to target high value naval targets. If a hypersonic guided missile, which flies at high altitude at high speed, is added to the mix of anti-ship missiles, the probability of the missiles hitting an enemy ship becomes extremely high. It can be said that the JSDF is steadily advancing its countermeasures with the future development of the Chinese navy in mind.

Anti-ship missile ASM-3 Japan 2020-12-30
Tags Anti-ship missile ASM-3 Japan
Facebook Twitter Stumble linkedin Pinterest More

Authors

Posted by : Yoshihiro Inaba
Yoshihiro Inaba is a Freelance Writer based in Shizuoka, Japan. He is one of the few young military writers in Japan and is currently a student studying international law (especially self-defense and use of force) at a Japanese graduate school. He is particularly familiar with Japan's Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces.

Related Articles

Royal Netherlands Navy Selects NSM – Naval Strike Missile

Royal Netherlands Navy Selects NSM – Naval Strike Missile

Xavier Vavasseur 12 Dec 2022
The Royal Netherlands Navy (Koninklijke Marine) has selected Kongsberg's Naval Strike Missile (NSM) as the replacement for its ageing Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
Video: JMSDF’s International Fleet Review

Video: JMSDF’s International Fleet Review

Yoshihiro Inaba 10 Dec 2022
An International Fleet Review was held in November in Sagami Bay under clear skies to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the JMSDF...
Japan Seriously Considering Tomahawk Cruise Missiles Procurement

Japan Seriously Considering Tomahawk Cruise Missiles Procurement

Yoshihiro Inaba 27 Nov 2022
According to several local media reports, the Japanese government is seriously considering the procurement of Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Legal / Privacy Policy
About Us
Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 Naval News
All Rights Reserved