The US and Japan estimate the total cost of the joint project to create a new type of missile at 3 billion dollars. the missile is designed to intercept hypersonic weapons. Kyodo agency writes about this, citing a representative of the Pentagon’s anti-missile defense agency.
According to the representative of the department, Japan will allocate 1 billion dollars from the total amount for the development of the interceptor.
The two countries intend to complete the development of the missile by the 2030s.
According to the publication, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reached an agreement on missile development in 2023. in August.
The new project, as explained by the agency, is aimed at destroying hypersonic missiles in the most vulnerable phase of their flight to the target before re-entering the atmosphere from space, in contrast to the traditional interception scheme, in which the missiles are shot down just before reaching the target.
Kyodo points out that the project comes at a time when “China, North Korea and Russia are persistently developing hypersonic capabilities.”
Hypersonic missiles fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, which is five times the speed of sound. They are also maneuverable and can change course in flight, making them difficult to hit or track with radar.
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