Since the end of World War II, Japan has been one of America's closest allies and the recipient of some of the most advanced weapons the United States could offer. Naval forces have been no exception, and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force has a rich history of guided missile ships. As the title says, this post will only cover the air warfare ships of the JMSDF, while the armaments of its other warships will be detailed at a later date.
Japan's first guided missile ship was the destroyer
Amatsukaze in 1965. She was armed with a single rail Mk 13 launcher for Tartar, and carried a total of 40 missiles. This was the same armament as the American
Farragut-class that had commissioned 1959, and
Amatsukaze was the first foreign vessel built with Tartar. While she was considered highly successful, her high cost meant that she was the only ship of her class.
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| Amatsukaze in 1965: 40x Tartar |
As Japan's sole guided missile ship for over a decade,
Amatsukaze underwent numerous refits to improve her combat capabilities. In 1968 she received an eight-cell ASROC launcher and in 1972 Tartar was replaced by SM-1.
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| Amatsukaze in 1972: 40x SM-1, 8x ASROC |
Amatsuzuki's modernized configuration would set the pattern for Japan's next class of guided missile ships. The three
Tachikaze-class destroyers, which commissioned 1976-1983, were also armed with a Mk 13 launcher for SM-1 and a Type 74 box launcher for ASROC. However, their larger size permitted them to carry a reloading system and eight additional missiles for their ASROC launcher.
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| Tachikaze in 1976: 40x SM-1MR, 16x ASROC |
The third and final
Tachikaze-class destroyer,
Sawakaze, had an upgraded Mk 13 launcher that could also handle the Harpoon antiship missile. As with the similarly equipped American
Perry-class frigates, it is likely that a total of eight Harpoon missiles were normally carried. Interestingly,
Sawakaze is the only Japanese ship to not carry her antiship missiles in dedicated canister launchers.
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| Sawakaze in 1983: 32x SM-1MR, 8x Harpoon, 16x ASROC |
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The
Tachikaze-class was followed by the two ship
Hatakaze-class, commissioned in 1986 and 1988. While these ships incorporated substantial improvements, including a flight deck and gas turbine propulsion, the only change in their missile armament was the introduction of two four-cell canister launchers for Harpoon missiles. While a
New Threat Upgrade-style modernization incorporating SM-2 was contemplated, it was never carried out. This leaves these ships with remarkably little capability today and makes their planned replacement by 27DDG long overdue.
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| Hatakaze in 1986: 40x SM-1MR, 16x ASROC, 8x Harpoon |
Commissioned in 1993-1998, just two years after
Arleigh Burke herself, the
Kongo-class destroyers were the first Aegis ships outside of the United Sates Navy. Like the American ships of the time, six of the Mk 41 VLS cells the
Kongo-class are reserved for reloading cranes, limiting them ninety missiles. However, unlike the
Arleigh Burke-class, the
Kongo-class does not carry the Tomahawk land attack missile, making effect of the missing cells far less important.
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| Kongo in 1993: 74x SM-2MR, 16x VLA, 8x Harpoon |
Beginning with
Kongo herself in 2007, one ship a year was modified for ballistic missile defense. Nine SM-3 Block IA missiles were procured as part of each upgrade. As each ship then expended one weapon in testing and no further SM-3 missiles have been procured, this leaves just eight missiles per ship. Given that North Korea possesses an estimated fifty missiles capable of reaching Tokyo, these thirty two SM-3 hardly represent a robust missile defense capability and Japan would be forced to rely on American warships to defeat a large scale ballistic missile attack.
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| Kongo in 2007: 66x SM-2MR, 8x SM-3, 16x VLA, 8x Harpoon |
Two further Aegis ships (the
Atago-class) were commissioned in 2007 and 2008. Among the numerous upgrades on these vessels, the reloading cranes were removed from the VLS, giving them ninety six functional cells. Additionally, the Harpoon missiles were replaced with indigenous Type 90 antiship missiles. While these ships were upgraded for ballistic missile defense in 2017, SM-3 missiles have not yet been procured for them. This is likely because Japan is waiting for the significantly more powerful SM-3 Block IIA, which is set to become operational this year (three of these missiles have already been requested by Japan).
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| Atago in 2007: 80x SM-2MR, 16x VLA, 8x Type 90 |
The ships of the JMSDF are worth studying in detail. While they frequently bear a strong resemblance to contemporary American ships and make great use of American systems, the similarities are often superficial as the Japanese vessels are purpose-built for a very different fleet architecture. This is well illustrated by the
Kongo and
Atago-classes. While often compared to the
Arleigh Burke-class, their flagship role and emphasis on air warfare in fact makes them much closer to
the Ticonderoga-class.
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