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© Thomson Reuters 2020.Japan to develop longer-range anti-ship missiles as China pressure mounts
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© Thomson Reuters 2020.
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Ameila Leary
Good news indeed. Excellent for Japan. Maybe these long-range anti-ship missiles would not be appropriate if Communist China were not actively hostile and intimidating Japan.
China should be confident that Japan and the US will finish them if they start anything.
Desert Tortoise
Btw, with stealth aircraft including loitering stealthy UAVs to provide ISR, precision guided munitions and hard target penetrator warheads it is possible to attrite an enemies nuclear forces including busting open missile silos and destroying their ICBMs using only conventional weapons. It is at least theoretically possible today to back a nuclear power into a corner and leave them with no nukes to fire at you without resorting to nuclear weapons yourself.
Desert Tortoise
Ooops, again. I said "But if your blast radius is down to less than ten meters, maybe only a couple of meters, conventional high explosives..."
I should have said "But if your CEP is down to less than ten meters, maybe only a couple of meters, conventional high explosives .......
Desert Tortoise
Maybe not. Precision guided weapons have greatly reduced the number of targets that require use of nuclear weapons to reliably destroy. CEP, or Circular Error Probable is defined as the radius of a circle; centered on the mean, whose boundary is expected to include the landing points of 50% of the rounds It is a measure or weapons accuracy. You expect 50% of the rounds to fall inside the CEP. Over the past couple of decades CEPs have fallen from thousands of meters for some ballistic missiles and hundreds of meters for free fall bombs to less than ten meters. Some weapons have CEPs of a meter or two. An old rule of thumb in ordnance is to assure the destruction of a target the blast radius needs to be at least equal to the weapons CEP. When your CEP is in the thousands or hundreds of meters, that means nuclear weapons are needed to do the job. But if your blast radius is down to less than ten meters, maybe only a couple of meters, conventional high explosives perhaps using a hard target penetrator is sufficient. In addition with modern precision guided weapons one airplane with four big guided bombs can hit four separate hard targets in one mission. You don't need squadrons of 400 bombers like WWII to hit one target, or not, as CEPs back then were huge, bombers had to fly in defensive box formations to ward off enemy fighters and most bombs landed miles from the intended target. Today one fighter with four precision bombs can do the work of hundreds of WWII bombers. And because those old WWII bombers were so slow, they could only fly one sortie per day where modern fighters typically fly three sorties per day rotating aircrews after each mission. Nuclear weapons now are mainly a terror weapon for flattening cities, and as such are a doomsday weapon to use if a nation's survival is at stake.
OssanAmerica
"Prepare for War, Xi Jinping Tells Elite Chinese Troops"
https://www.newsweek.com/xi-jinping-tells-troops-prepare-war-1539031
1glenn
China's newly aggressive policies under Xi are perhaps unfortunate, but also undeniable. It would be the height of foolishness for the countries around China to do nothing to enhance their defensive capabilities, as regrettable as it is that that is necessary.
At the same time, it makes sense to continue to try to live peacefully alongside China, in so far as that is practical.
Fighto!
@ Peter14 -
Sorry, quite a few people in Japan who have had NK "test" missiles flying over their heads over the years, and relatives kidnapped from Japan, would strongly disagree. Totalitarian Russia is yet another constant Asian threat. Major threat.
Toasted Heretic
Besides the use of nuclear weapons (which nobody wants), perhaps a more honest and better way would be to engage in dialogue and get the aggressive rhetoric dialled down.
And wumao propagandists should be called out, each and every time, for they have no interest in dialling it down.
Peter14
There is no winner in any major war but the difference is if nukes get involved the leaders of those nations understand that there is a much higher probability that they and their families will be among the casualties no matter where they hide. With their own lives on the line they are much more reluctant for war. It is easier to sacrifice soldiers and civilians when your family and you yourself are safe in bunkers.
Paul
With an option to have a nuclear warhead on it, that will show Japan means business... Nukes have prevented WW3 till now because all sides know there will be no winner...
Peter14
AkieToday 12:30 pm JST
That is true. The problem is the continued military buildup of China. China has no natural enemies but it seeks to manufacture some with its territorial expansions and continued belligerence.
China aims to dominate and builds a military to do so. At some point it will use its mass of weapons against some peaceful country in Asia. China killed Indian troops on the border this year so anyone close is a potential target, including Japan.
Peter14
Peter14 asked "What is China's reason for having them? "
China is the only threat to Asian peace, will it use the weapons on itself? A counter revolution in China would save northeast asia.
GrungeHamster
Japan has every right to defend itself and Japanese interests like any sovereign state.
The real question is how are we paying for all this?
Akie
Japan will never attack China, that is the promise, not a lie.
Akie
Peter14 asked "What is China's reason for having them? "
hahaha, not a smart ask. The answer is to protect northeast asia.
Peter14
The range was "Unstated".
It is based on a current missile with a range of 200km meaning they are not starting from scratch but are using the current missile as a starting point for developing the new missile with extended range.
The range will be much greater and be able to be launched from Okinawa and reach past the Senkaku's.
That is their stated aim for land launched missiles to provide stand off area denial around the Senkaku's.
Peter14
Japan has good reason for acquiring these weapons.
What is China's reason for having them? Nobody is planning to invade or attack China but it has an arsenal of much longer range missiles including ICBM's.
Is war the only way to save China?
ShinCebu
China, always create problem.
Peeping_Tom
"Anyone read the range part??
Pathetic.... Not enough for a country that stretches across thousands and thousands of Kilometers."
Well, you need to re-read the article then.
iluvyokohama
Japan and China are Economic Allies and Military Enemies. Japanese Corporations make money from doing business with China while ordinary Japanese Citizens lose their jobs and see their limited tax revenues being spent on defending against a Chinese Military Buildup that Japanese Businesses contribute to.
How about Japanese Businesses profiting from China paying for defending against China.
Desert Tortoise
You are so full of hooey. Nobody in the US government from either party today wants anything to do with China. A decade ago or so when Hu Jintao was still General Secretary of the CCP and President of the PRC the CCP openly debated allowing private land ownership and there were experiments with competitive local elections. Back when Ronald Reagan was President the Naval Air Station I was stationed at was periodically crawling with delegations of Chinese naval officers being given demonstrations of our equipment. Deng himself walked the decks of an American aircraft carrier in San Diego. Chinese combat ships visited San Diego too. I saw them, a Luda Class (Soviet Kotlin copy) and the Harbin. But Xi Jinping is the opposite of Hu and Deng, a rigid authoritarian much closer to Mao than any of Mao's other successors and, obtw, it was the Obama Administration that instituted the Pivot to the Pacific and began the development of a lot of the new weapons and sensors just now coming on line in response to Chinese military development. I would bet more than beers the Biden administration is no friend of China and is committed to America's allies including and perhaps particularly Japan.
Desert Tortoise
The article specifically states the new missile would have a longer range than the 200 km of Japan's existing surface to surface anti-ship missile, which is a Harpoon knock off and a pretty good one. The article also specifically stated the range of the new missile was not given by the government, which is logical. Japan has an existing supersonic anti-ship missile but it is air launched only at this point. Perhaps it will serve as a stepping off point for a surface launched version.
OssanAmerica
The only country that echoes Imperial Japan of the 1930s, a military dictatorship is CHINA TODAY IN 2020.
Fighto!
Really good news. Good for Japan. If Communist China were not constantly aggressive and threatening Japan, perhaps these long-range anti-ship missiles would not be necessary.
China should be sure if they start anything, Japan and the US will finish them.
Alan Harrison
The missiles would allow Japan to expand a strategy known as anti-access area denial (A2AD), that is meant to stop foreign forces from operating freely in waters close to its home territory.
Japan only needs to become involved when foreign forces operate freely within it's home territory.
Echo's of the 1930's
ReasonandWisdomNippon
Anyone read the range part??
Pathetic.... Not enough for a country that stretches across thousands and thousands of Kilometers.
A range closer to 2000km is what we need in a real world scenario. If you want to protect pilots, and expensive planes, weapons with long range are necessary.
Cricky
Nobody wants China.
yoshisan88
This will not happen If China is not explaning it's navy, like building aircraft carriers. Is war the only way to save China?
Cricky
Can see this being over budget, costing enough to house the Fukashima displaced, and 10 years over time. In the end we will get a geriatric LDP politician strapped to a skyrocket yelling gambatte towards the sea.
non party
This realization of Japanese is the true indication of US- Japan relationship.
Japan knew that for the next 4 years, no one will come to help Japan. But China will be more aggressive,
This is the result of an election in the United States of Bananas.
Japan is no more going to trust them from now..
Well done Japan. Stand by yourself.
Many countries in the Asia are going to do the same.
noriahojanen
It's a nice upgrade move. Japan has good missile development tech. The new arrangement and procurement can contribute to its domestic industries.
englisc aspyrgend
The capability of war is the only effective deterrent to an aggressive expansionist neighbour like China under the CCP.
Tis seems a good defensive move for an island country like Japan, backed by mobile air power provided by its mini carriers.
Akie
Is war the only way to save Japan ?