This is a new type of surface-to-ship missile (SSM) that is currently under development by KHI. Japan’s Defense Ministry plans to use it as a standoff missile that can be launched from outside the enemy’s threat range.
The plan came as Japan is striving to develop a series of standoff missiles, including this new long-range cruise and the improved Type 12 surface-to-ship missile (SSM), as part of its push for counterstrike capabilities. It came amid mounting tensions over the Senkaku Islands, which Tokyo administers as part of Okinawa and Beijing claims as the Diaoyu. China’s navy and its paramilitary coast guard have repeatedly made advancements in the East China Sea near those islands.
As Naval News previously reported, the new missile uses the company’s latest small fuel-efficient turbofan engine—called the KJ300 with a two-spool configuration that can generate a thrust of 3.58 kN (365 kgf) at sea-level static conditions. The engine is made for standoff missiles and is only 0.95 meters in length.
The scale model on display on KHI stand at JA2024 features two large main wings, four tail fins/stabilizers and a flush air intake on the underside of the body. Since it has many similarities with the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile in terms of range, shape, and performance, it has been dubbed as a Japanese version of the Tomahawk by domestic media.
This new missile being developed by KHI is simply known by its project name, “New SSM,” in Japan, although the official name of the missile is “New Anti-Ship Missile for the Defense of Remote Island (島嶼防衛用新対艦誘導弾 in Japanese).”
Compared to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI)’ existing Type 12 SSM, which the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force began procuring in 2012, the new SSM will have a longer range. The new anti-ship missile is assumed to have a maximum range of 2,500 kilometers – meaning that, if launched from western Japan, it would be able to reach missile bases in inland China.
The ministry has awarded KHI a contract worth 33.9 billion yen ($223 million) for research and development of the new SSM. This is a five-year project spanning from FY2023 to FY2027, with a prototype launch test scheduled for the final year of the project in 2027.
The Defense Buildup Program approved by the Japanese government in December 2022 stated, “Research on new anti-ship guided missile for island defense that has a longer-range, low radar cross section (RCS), and higher mobility, while having multiple functions through modularization” as a necessary project to strengthen stand-off defense capabilities.
Relationship with development of new surface-to-ship/surface precision guided missile
Meanwhile, the MoD has allocated 32.3 billion yen in the 2024 defense budget to develop a “new Surface-to-Ship/Surface precision guided missile (新地対艦・地対地精密誘導弾 in Japanese)” that utilizes ground equipment with improved version of the Type 12 SSM.
About this new missile, the MoD has explained that “we will begin development of a new stand-off missile with improved anti-ship and surface capabilities, such as long-range flight performance and precision guidance performance.”
According to the “Current Status of Project-Managed Equipment, etc.” announced by Japan’s Acquistion, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) on August 30, 2024, this new surface-to-ship/surface precision guided missile is scheduled to enter the research and development phase from 2024 to 2030, and the mass production and deployment phase from 2027.
To put it, research and development of the new SSM and the new surface-to-ship/surface precision guided missile are being carried out at the same time.
Asked about the relationship between the two new missiles, a spokesperson at ATLA told Naval News on 22 October, “The New Anti-Ship Missile for Island Defense Project and the New Surface-to-Ship/Surface Precision Guided Missile Project are different projects. On the other hand, the New Surface-to-Ship/Surface Precision Guided Missile is planned to be researched and developed using the results of other research and development. At this time, we also plan to reflect the results of research on the elemental technologies of the New Anti-Ship Missile for Island Defense (into the New Surface-to-Ship/Surface Precision Guided Missile).”
The MoD’s “FY2023 Policy Evaluation Report (Preliminary Project Evaluation)” also explains that the development project for the New Surface-to-Ship/Surface Precision Guided Missile will aim to reduce development costs by utilizing research into elemental technologies of the New SSM, the improved Type 12 SSM, and the design results of the target observation rounds.
