U.S. Sells Air-To-Surface Missiles To Japan

The US government has approved the potential sale to Japan of air-to-surface missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $104 million, the State Department said, Kyodo News reported.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the plan regarding the extended-range missiles, also known as JASSM-ER. I Photo: Lockheed Martin

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the plan regarding the extended-range missiles, also known as JASSM-ER, earlier in the day.

Japan requested to buy up to 50 of the missiles, and DSCA said the proposed sale will help the US improve the security of "a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region."

The missiles will be mounted on Japan's Air Self-Defense Force F-15 and other fighter jets, it said in a statement, noting also that the plan will neither change the basic military balance in the region nor cause an adverse impact on US defense readiness.

Japan updated its key defense documents late last year, vowing to acquire so-called counterstrike or enemy base strike, capabilities in a major policy shift under the country's war-renouncing Constitution, Mainichi Shimbun also reported.

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