US approves $2.15B Aegis Ashore sale for Japan

The U.S. Department of State approved $2.15 billion Foreign Military Sale of two land-based variant Aegis Ashore batteries to Japan, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in a 29 January statement.

According to a statement, the State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan of two AEGIS Weapon Systems (AWS), two Multi-Mission Signal Processors (MMSP) and two Command and Control Processor (C2P) Refreshes and related equipment for an estimated cost of $2.150 billion. 

“This proposed sale will provide the government of Japan with an enhanced capability against increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile threats and create an expanded, layered defense of its homeland,” the January 29 statement reads. “Japan, which already has the AEGIS in its inventory, will have no difficulty absorbing this system into its armed forces.”

The prime contractor for the Aegis Weapon System and Multi-Mission Signal Processors will be Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Washington, DC.  The Command and Control Processor Refresh will be provided by General Dynamics, Falls Church, VA.

According to Missile Threat, the system incorporates land-based versions of the various componants used on Aegis ships, including the deckhouse, AN/SPY-1 radar, the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS), and Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors. It is intended to serve as a midcourse defense against medium and intermediate-range missiles. The first two planned Aegis Ashore sites are at Deveselu, Romania and Redzikowo, Poland. The AN/TPY-2 X-band Radar in Turkey provides early tracking data to the Aegis Ashore sites on missiles launched from the Middle East.

Each Aegis Ashore site include three MK 41 VLS tubes with eight cells apiece for a total of 24 interceptors per site.