According to interviews with officials, the Ministry of Defense is considering creating a new unit in the Ground Self-Defense Force that operates "high-speed glide missiles" that glide at speeds exceeding the speed of sound, and is considering deploying them in Kyushu and Hokkaido. .
A high-speed glide missile is a missile that glides like a glider at a speed exceeding the speed of sound to reach its target. I'm here.
According to Ministry of Defense officials, the Ground Self-Defense Force is considering establishing two new units that operate "high-speed glide missiles" by fiscal 2026 and deploying them to garrisons in Kyushu and Hokkaido.
It has a range of several hundred kilometers and plans to increase it to more than 1,000 kilometers within a few years after deployment.
In addition, the Ground Self-Defense Force's five regiments of surface-to-ship missiles in Kyushu, Tohoku, and Hokkaido have been newly deployed in Okinawa and Kyushu, increasing the number to seven, and extending the range to approximately 1,000 kilometers. The improved version of the "surface-to-ship missile" will be deployed sequentially from 2026.
These missiles are being considered as equipment for exercising "counterattack capabilities" that hit ballistic missile launch sites, etc., and it is expected that the focus will be on gaining the understanding of the regions where they will be deployed.