The Japanese Defence Ministry plans to develop unmanned aircraft that are capable of detecting ballistic missiles earlier than current systems, according to government sources.
The domestically developed information-gathering UAS will be equipped with a supersensitive infrared sensor to detect and track ballistic missiles even at low altitude.
The ministry decided to beef up the nation’s surveillance capabilities out of concern for future ballistic missile launches by North Korea and China’s accelerated military buildup.
The ministry has earmarked 3 billion yen (US$ 4M) in its initial budget request for next fiscal year to be spent in the following four years to study the UAS, which can remain in the air for long periods.
A portion of this amount is expected to be allocated in the draft budget to be decided in December, the sources said.
The ministry currently uses ground radar and Aegis destroyers to detect missile launches, while also relying on data from U.S. forces’ early-warning satellites. However, this system can only detect missiles that have reached a certain altitude.
When North Korea fired in April a ballistic missile it claimed was a satellite despite protests by the international community, Japan’s ground radar could not locate the missile because the launch failed and it never reached a sufficient altitude.
The planned UAS will be able to fly at about 13,500 meters and be capable of detecting the movement of low-altitude objects over waters near Japan.
As pilots are not needed to operate the drones, the ministry expects they will be able to patrol the skies for two hours continuously.
The ministry plans to have a design for a prototype UAS ready by next fiscal year. Once the prototype is completed, it will undergo strength and other tests.
The ministry plans introduce the UAS for deployment in fiscal 2020.
Ministry sources said development of the supersensitive infrared sensor for heat detection is almost complete. “We already have the basic technology,” a senior ministry official said.
Deployment of the UAS would enable launches of ballistic missiles to be detected far earlier than ground radar, making it possible to intercept them at an early stage.
The UAS will be able to track missiles after they are launched, something that is difficult for satellites. Even if a missile stalls after launch, the UAS will be able to detect it.
The ministry expects the UAS to serve other purposes, too. These include marine surveillance, such as monitoring the Chinese Navy’s movements in the East China Sea, and information-gathering activities in areas contaminated with radioactive substances from Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Source: Daily Yomuiri