November 21, 2022

Japanese hypersonic cruise & glide missile progress

Below is an interesting wispywood2344 comment of November 13, 2022:

[Since the October 10, 2022 article] there has been a follow-up report [1] on the news of Japanese long-range missiles. 

According to this report, both the "hypersonic cruise missile (HCM)" and the "highspeed glide missile (HGM) for island defense Block 2" have a range of over 1,000 km. 

This is the first time that the range of a HCM has been reported. 

The range of the HGM was said to be 500 km [2] but this is apparently the range of the "rapidly-deployable" Block 1.

Block 1's range of 500 km realizes "inter-island" firing from Okinawa main island to the entire Nansei islands, but is not enough to cover the Taiwan Strait.

Block 2's range of 1,000+ km will not only realizes "island-to-mainland" firing, i.e., from Okinawa main island to the west coast of the Taiwan strait, but also "inter-mainland" firing, i.e. from Kyushu to Shanghai. 

[1] Sankei-Shimbun (newspaper), "[Exclusive] The Japanese MoD considers to procure 1,500 long-range [hypersonic cruise missiles (HCM)] within 10 years" dated November 6, 2022 [In Japanese. Just right click mouse to translate]. https://www.sankei.com/article/20221106-WRI5DOYKCJMM7FMDMB3LY53IQI/

[2] Mainichi-Shimbun (newspaper), "The Japanese MoD considers installing an anti-aircraft-carrier warhead on the highspeed glide missiles (HGMs) for island defense, as well as increasing their speed and range". dated February 25, 2020. [In Japanese. Just right click mouse to translate. Glide missiles of this type generally reach hypersonic speed. See diagram below]. https://mainichi.jp/articles/20200224/k00/00m/010/219000c


Diagram courtesy Mainichi-Shimbun February 25, 2020.
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