The ASM-3 is a
supersonic 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 ...
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 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 warf ...
. 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 state ...
announced it would conduct a live-fire experiment of the XASM-3 in 2016, targeting the decommissioned ship
JDS Shirane.
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 ...
, 25 December 2020
Variants
*ASM-3A - Extended range version of ASM-3.
*ASM-3 Kai(改) - Improved version of ASM-3A.
See also
* Type 80 Air-to-Ship Missile
* Type 88 Surface-to-Ship Missile
The Type 88 Surface-to-Ship Missile (88式地対艦誘導弾, SSM-1) is a truck-mounted anti-ship missile developed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the late 1980s. It is a land-based version of the air-launched Type 80 (ASM-1) missile; ...
* Type 90 Ship-to-Ship Missile
The Type 90 Ship-to-Ship Missile (90式艦対艦誘導弾, SSM-1B) is a ship-launched anti-ship missile developed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries that entered service in 1990. It is a naval version of the truck-launched Type 88 (SSM-1) mis ...
* Type 93 Air-to-Ship Missile
Comparable missiles
* Kh-31
* Kh-41
* Kh-61
*YJ-91
The YJ-91 () is an anti-radiation air-to-surface cruise missile produced by the People's Republic of China. It is a derivative of the Zvezda-Strela
, type = Joint-stock company
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, industry = Defense industryAerospace industry ...
*YJ-12
The YJ-12 () is a Chinese supersonic anti-ship cruise missile.
Description
The YJ-12 is an air-launched missile that resembles a lengthened Kh-31 and is close in shape to the GQM-163 Coyote aerial target.
A 2011 article in the United States N ...
*Hsiung Feng III
The Hsiung Feng III (HF-3; , "Brave Wind III") is a medium range supersonic missile with capabilities to destroy both land based targets and naval targets developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) in Taiwan ...
*ANS ( anti navire supersonique, cancelled French project)
References
External links
Policy evaluation reports
{{Japanese missiles
Anti-ship missiles of Japan
Anti-ship cruise missiles