A Japanese Ministry of Defense image showing a test firing of the improved Type 12 missile. (Japanese Ministry of Defense)
Japan will begin mass production of its enhanced Type 12 surface-to-ship missile (SSM) earlier than projected and has allocated funds to procure the weapon in its defence budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025.
In response to recent questions from Janes , a spokesperson from the country's Ministry of Defense (MoD) replied that “positive results” have been obtained in the ongoing research and development (R&D) effort to enhance the weapon type.
No elaborations on these “positive results” were given but the spokesperson noted that as an outcome of this, the country is now poised to begin early mass production of the missile.
In pursuit of this, the MoD has budgeted JPY16.8 billion (USD110.1 million) in its defence budget for FY 2025 to procure an undisclosed number of units of the missile, with all R&D projected to be completed by FY 2026, the spokesperson added.
In line with this, the MoD is also working out the timeline and other details of how the missiles will be distributed across the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) fleet.
Japan is developing the enhanced variant of its Type 12 missile under the country's National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) and Medium Term Defense Program (MTDP).
The original Type 12 missile was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and the weapon began operational service with selected Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) coastal battalions in 2014.
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