Missile Loadouts: Japanese General Purpose Destroyers (1982-2018)
During the 1970's, several new technologies such as the helicopter, the gas turbine, and the lightweight surface to air missile became available, driving the creation of a new generation of warship. The United States led the way with the Spruance -class destroyers, and the British followed with the Type 22 frigates. In Japan, these developments took somewhat longer, but eventually led to the creation of the new type of general purpose destroyer. Hatsuyuki-class The first of these new ships was the twelve members of the Hatsuyuki -class, which entered service beginning in 1982. Unlike the preceding Japanese destroyers that relied on guns, Hatsuyuki was built with a substantial missile battery for countering air, surface, and subsurface threats. This consisting of an octuplet ASROC box launcher forward, two quadruple Harpoon canister launchers amidships, and an octuplet Sea Sparrow box launcher aft (on the first ships five ships this was the American Mk 29, while the later ships we