The US and Japan want to develop an interceptor that can shoot down Russian, Chinese and North Korean hypersonic missiles

The SM-3 Block IIA is a Standard family interceptor developed by Japanese and American specialists. The two countries want to jointly create a new anti-missile to destroy hypersonic weapons of opponents.

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At the moment, Japan's two-tier missile defence system relies on Aegis destroyers with SM-3 Block IIA missiles and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems with Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptors. The new anti-missile will be able to counter Chinese, Russian and North Korean hypersonic threats capable of speeds from 6174 km/h.

A decision regarding the start of development of the new interceptor is expected to be announced later this week. A trilateral meeting between Japan, the US and the Republic of Korea is scheduled for 18 August. Development of the anti-missile missile could take 10 years.

As for the SM-3 Block IIA, it is capable of shooting down ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere, developing a speed of up to 4.5 km/h (M=13.2), which is one and a half times faster compared to the Block IA/B. The interceptor was developed by RTX and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. As of fiscal year 2021, the Block IIA version was valued at about $12 million

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun