The US and Japan officially joined hands to research an air defense system capable of intercepting hypersonic weapons that the two countries currently cannot shoot down.
Defense News reported that representatives of the two countries’ Ministries of Defense have signed an agreement to implement a joint project called Gliding Phase Interception (GPI) to counter hypersonic weapons, with an estimated cost of about 3 million USD. billion USD. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) of the US Department of Defense leads the project, while Japan is in charge of rocket engines and propulsion components. The above agreement is the result of negotiations lasting more than a year between the US and Japan. The plan to pursue the GPI project was first announced during a bilateral meeting between leaders of the two sides on the occasion of the summit with South Korea at Camp David (Maryland state, USA) in August 2023. “The GPI project contributes to strengthening the deterrence capacity of the two countries,” the Pentagon stated in a press release.
The US side plans to choose Northrop Grumman or Raytheon Technologies as the main contractor by the end of this year. Meanwhile, Japan did not say whether there were many companies participating in the bidding, but confirmed that it will award the contract to the GPI project before March next year. However, one of the “heavyweight” faces that can be mentioned is the largest military manufacturing company in the land of the rising sun, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This is also the second time the US and Japan jointly developed an interceptor missile after the Standard Missile-3 Block 2A ship-based interceptor missile.
Although the two countries aim to complete the development process by 2030, Defense News cited a document from the US Congress that clearly stated the requirement that the GPI project’s air defense system be able to demonstrate initial operational capabilities. (IOC) – meaning the system components are successfully operational – by the end of 2029, followed by full operational capability by 2032 so that the country’s military has at least 24 systems on duty from 2040. Once deployed, the system becomes an important element in the multi-layered missile defense shield of the US as well as Japan.
Hypersonic weapons have a minimum speed of Mach 5, which is 5 times the speed of sound or 6,174km/h, including two main types: cruise missiles using high-speed jet engines and hypersonic glide vehicles. The bar is launched into the atmosphere by a ballistic missile or booster rocket. In addition to their extremely fast speeds, hypersonic weapons also have unpredictable flight paths, making them difficult to track and intercept, and can penetrate missile shields. Therefore, unlike conventional defense systems designed to destroy enemy missiles immediately before reaching the target, the new project of Washington and Tokyo will aim to intercept hypersonic weapons during the target phase. gliding – the moment that is considered the most vulnerable moment of the projectile.
In recent years, missile-related technologies, including hypersonic weapons, have been significantly improved by many countries. Notably, Russia and China already have “deployable” products in this field. Therefore, not only the US or Japan, the race to increase the ability to intercept hypersonic weapons also attracts other countries. For example, Defense News reported in June 2023 that a joint venture between the UK and France is planning to develop an interception system capable of destroying hypersonic missiles to contribute to modernizing the defense system. each country’s missiles. Most recently, German and Spanish defense manufacturing companies introduced a missile model of the Hypersonic Defense Interceptor System (HYDEF) project at the international aerospace exhibition ILA Berlin. 2024 in Germany.