Japan's new type 12 missile: Heightened range and capabilities

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries developed the Type 12 SSM (Surface-to-Ship Missile) in 2012. Introduced into service in 2015, the weapon was designed for mobile coastal launchers. An airborne variant is also intended for Japanese Kawasaki P-1 patrol aircraft.

Target information can be transmitted to the missile after launch, at various stages of flight, and from different sources. The rocket also has an advanced control system, allowing it to search for and identify targets independently.

The range of the land-based version of the weapon is about 124 miles, while the airborne variant can hit targets up to 249 miles away.

Despite the modernity of the weapon introduced into service, Japan – simultaneously with its implementation – began working on modernizing the Type 12 missiles. The aim was to develop a weapon that effectively counters the growth of the Chinese fleet and Beijing's superpower ambitions.

The result of this work is the modernized Type 12 missile. Its aerodynamic design is similar to the American JASSM missile, and the weapon is intended to be fully versatile. The modernized Type 12 is to destroy both maritime and land targets, whether stationary or moving, at distances of up to 932 miles.

According to Milmag, the new missile's initial carriers will be the new ASEV (Aegis System Equipped Vessels) destroyers, hailed by the media as super destroyers, and Japanese F-15 aircraft upgraded to the F-15JSI (Japanese Super Interceptor) standard. In 2025, a year ahead of the original schedule, the missiles are also expected to be delivered to the ground forces.

One of the significant improvements in the modernized Type 12 missile is the ability to use satellite communication. This allows target information to be transmitted over very long distances.