Japan Unveils Long-Range Type 12 Missile Launcher for First Time
The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF) has unveiled the vehicle launcher for the enhanced Type 12 missile at the service’s largest live-fire drill, marking its first public appearance.
Around 4,000 high school students and their parents were invited to watch the Fuji Firepower Exercise at the Higashi-Fuji training area in Shizuoka Prefecture as part of the JGSDF’s efforts to spur interest in joining the force, The Asahi Shimbun reported.
The platform with four launchers operates as a transporter-erector-launcher mounted on a high-mobility wheeled 8×8 chassis designed to support Japan’s efforts in building counterstrike capabilities.
Following the launcher’s mass production, which began in 2023, the defense ministry intends to deploy it in seven surface-to-ship missile regiments from Hokkaido in the country’s north to Okinawa in the south, starting in 2025.
Type 12 Missiles
The Type 12 missiles boast stealth and long-range features, with enhancements enabling them to reach targets from approximately 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away.
In March this year, the government was reportedly eyeing to field the long-range guided missiles on southwestern Kyushu island for enhanced “counterstrike capabilities” against China and North Korea.
Kyushu faces the East China Sea to the west and the Korean Peninsula to the northwest.
