The ''Tachikaze''-class destroyer was a second generation

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers who have a prim ...

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

, formerly in service with the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

(JMSDF). The ships of this class have had successive improvements after their completion, especially to their C4I systems. These air-defense warships are the natural successor to the first generation air-defense ship, the , and they were in turn, followed by newer air-defense ships, the . The ''Tachikaze'' class was equipped with the Tartar-D system as the key weapon system, the fleet-area air defense weapon system with the Standard-1 MR missile. At the same time, this was the American first native integrated weapon system with the

Naval Tactical Data System Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) was a computerized information processing system developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s and first deployed in the early 1960s for use in combat ships. It took reports from multiple sensors on different sh ...

(NTDS), so this class was the first of the Maritime Self Defense Force's ships that utilised computers widely. As the NTDS, OYQ-1 Weapon Entry System (WES) was on board on the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

, ''Tachikaze''. The OYQ-1 WES was based on the technology of the NYYA-1 which was on board on the lead ship of the , and this system was the first Japanese shipboard C4I system with the architecture of NTDS. On the second ship, ''Asakaze'', the improved OYQ-2 Target Designation System (TDS) was on board. And the third ship, ''Sawakaze'', introduced the new-generation combat direction system, OYQ-4. The ''Tachikaze''-class destroyers' weapon systems include one

Mk 13 missile launcher The Mark 13 guided missile launching system (GMLS) is a single-arm missile launcher designed for use on frigates and other military vessels. Because of its distinctive single-armed design, the Mark 13 is often referred to as the "one-armed bandit ...

for the Standard-1 MR surface-to-air missile, one Type 74 octuple launcher (Japanese version of the American Mark 16 GMLS) for the ASROC anti-submarine rockets, eight

Boeing Harpoon The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and later AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack ...

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A goo ...

, two 20-mm

Phalanx The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly ...

CIWS A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of l ...

gun mounts, two Type 68 (Model HOS-301) triple

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s, and two 5-inch/54 caliber Mark 42 rapid-fire guns. In 1998, ''Tachikaze'' was converted to be the flagship of the Fleet Escort Force. The aft 5-inch gun was replaced with a fleet command area. ''Tachikaze'' was decommissioned in 2007. ''Sawakaze'' then succeeded her in the flagship role. The ships of the ''Tachikaze'' class were decommissioned beginning in 2007. All three vessels of the ''Tachikaze'' class were named after destroyers of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

, with ''Tachikaze'' and ''Asakaze'' being lost to enemy action during the war. JDS Asakaze DDG169

Ships in the class

References

External links

GlobalSecurity.org; JMSDF DDG Tachikaze Class
{{Combatant ship classes of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Destroyer classes