The ASM-3 is a

supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...

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 good ...

being developed by

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...

to replace the ASM-1 and

ASM-2 The Type 93 Air-to-Ship Missile (93式空対艦誘導弾, ASM-2) is an air-to-ship missile developed in Japan. This missile is used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The ASM-2 will be replaced by the ASM-3. See also * Type 80 Air-to-Ship ...

missiles. The major launch platform is the Mitsubishi F-2. Planned

Initial Operational Capability Initial operating capability or initial operational capability (IOC) is the state achieved when a capability is available in its minimum usefully deployable form. The term is often used in government or military procurement. The United States D ...

was 2016. The missile will be used by the

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warfa ...

. It can attack not only ships, but also ground targets. Since the original model of ASM3 had a short range of 200 km, it was not deployed immediately, and an improved model was developed from 2017 to 2020, and deployment of (ASM3a) with a range of about 300～400 km started in 2021. In the future, it may also have a range of 400 km or more. In November 2015, Japan's

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

announced it would conduct a live-fire experiment of the XASM-3 in 2016, targeting the decommissioned ship

JDS Shirane JS ' (DDH-143) was the lead ship of the Shirane-class destroyer, her eponymous class of destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Construction and career The vessel was Keel laying, laid down by Ishikawajima-Harima in Tokyo ...

. In February 2017, an F-2 carried out a jettison test of the missile as a precursor to a live firing. Mass production was planned to begin in 2018 but stopped due to the further upgrade program that has been planned. Footage of a test launch was released in August 2017.

Improvement program

In March 2019, it was reported that the ASM-3 would have its range extended to or more. Despite its development being completed in 2017 the missile was not deployed because its range (200 km) was deemed too short. The extended range is believed to be developed in response to countering the Chinese Navy's long range air-defense. The missile may be used by the F-2's successor once the aircraft retires in the 2030s. In December 2019, the Japanese Defense Ministry secured ￥10.3 billion to upgrade the missile in the 2020 budget. It is planned to extend the range without resizing. In December 2020, Japan MoD announced ASM-3A, which has been derived by reflecting the achievements from the development process of ASM-3 (Kai), and will mass-produce it with the 2021 defense budget. Upgrade version of ASM-3A, ASM-3 (Kai), will be continuously developed according to the schedule.About the selection result of new important equipment etc, page. 6(Japanese)
-,

Ministry of Defense (Japan) The is an executive department of the Government of Japan responsible for preserving the peace and independence of Japan, and maintaining the country’s national security and the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The ministry is headed by the M ...

, 25 December 2020

Variants

*ASM-3A - Extended range version of ASM-3. *ASM-3 Kai(改) - Improved version of ASM-3A.

References

External links

Policy evaluation reports
{{Japanese missiles Anti-ship missiles of Japan Anti-ship cruise missiles