On August 21, the Pentagon announced that the US and Japan are working to complete a formal agreement on missile development in 2024.
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| The US and Japan plan to complete development of new interceptor missiles in the 2030s. (Source: RTX) |
According to Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Martin Meiners, the two countries plan to develop a new missile capable of intercepting hypersonic weapons. However, there is still no specific information about funding and implementation time.
The move came after US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio agreed to jointly develop this weapon during a meeting ahead of the US-Japan-South Korea Summit at Camp David, Washington on August 18.
Recently, Russia, China and North Korea are also pursuing, researching and developing hypersonic weapons.
Hypersonic missiles - with speeds above Mach 5, five times faster than the speed of sound, capable of changing direction while in flight, will make it more difficult for radar systems to detect, track and shoot down.
Japan's Defense Ministry said Tokyo and Washington aim to complete development of the new missile by the 2030s.
Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesman affirmed: "This development cooperation will build on the long-standing missile defense cooperation between the United States and Japan, contributing to enhancing the alliance's deterrence capabilities."
This will be the second time the US has joined hands with Japan to develop an interceptor missile, after the Standard-3 Block 2A missile.
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