Japanese Navy to Induct U.S. Aegis Air Defence Systems by 2020
Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff
Aegis Ashore Air Defence System
Japan's Navy is set to induct U.S. made Aegis air defence systems for its destroyers. The Aegis is widely considered to be the most sophisticated Western designed air defence system, and is specialised in countering ballistic missiles. The system was initially intended as a defence for the U.S. Navy but has since been developed into a land based variant, the Aegis Ashore. Amid growing tensions with China and North Korea, Japan is set to deploy both the Aegis Ashore and the weapons system's Naval variant as a means of countering the missile forces of its potential adversaries.
Thirty U.S. warships today deploy the Aegis, including 5 Ticonderoga Class Cruisers and 25 Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers. Japan will become the only nation other than the U.S. to deploy the system, and the only one other than the U.S. and Romania to deploy the land based variant. Targeting ballistic missiles in their reentry phase, the system has also proven effective against low flying satellites during testing. The induction of the system is highly unlikely to be a standalone purchase, with extensive supporting systems required to allow the Aegis to function to its full potency. As Roger Cliff, a senior political scientist at the renowned think tank RAND Corporation, stated: “Some countries might buy them (the Aegis) just to impress their neighbors, but their combat effectiveness would be negligible unless the country also invested in the needed detection, data processing, and communications systems."
Considering that the Aegis is capable of intercepting ICBMs upon reentry, it's deployment in the Japanese Navy is a welcome asset for the United States' own defence. Japanese battleships armed with the Aegis will be equipped with a new U.S. developed information exchange system which will allow U.S. air defences to use radar data from Japanese destroyers. This provides invaluable cuing information for the American mainland enhancing its SAM systems' ability to intercept North Korea, Chinese and Russian missiles.
