Japan is planning to produce a new missile that will be able to intercept ballistic missiles and other hypersonic arms by 2027 in response to threats posed by China, Russia, and North Korea, with test production to begin in 2023, Nikkei Asian Review reported on Saturday.
The new missile will be the Type-03 medium-range surface-to-air missile, aka Chu-SAM, with upgraded software. A version that will feature upgraded hardware is poised for release in 2030.
The upgraded missile will be distributed to fourteen units across the country. The Ryukyu Islands near Taiwan have been named as a potential site for some of the new weapons.
