JAPAN’s Ministry of Defense allotted 2.6 billion US dollars to acquire two massive Aegis System System-equipped vessels – a proposed pair of ballistic missile defense warships to be operated by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The plan will replace Japan’s abandoned land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system.
The defense ministry plans to start construction of the two destroyers by next year and complete the project by 2028.
The military vessel will be equipped with US-made radars.
Weighing 12,000 tons, the Aegis System Equipped Vessels will be almost twice the size of the US Navy’s latest Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
It will be equipped with weapon systems and eventually upgraded by installing high-power anti-drone laser systems starting in 2032.
The destroyers will be used to counter the ballistic missile threat from North Korea and are positioned as the cornerstone of the country’s missile defense system.
