North Korea leaves Japan behind in missile race – Part 1

North Korea is way ahead of Japan in missile race.

PICS COURTESY PIXABAY/SHUTTERSTOCK

The arms race between the Japanese and the North Koreans is reaching a phase where the powers that count in Japan are sitting up and taking stock.

The various tests and experimentation including threatening gestures made by North Korea towards Japan have proved to the world that the Communist regime has taken the technological advancement of their missiles to a much higher level than Japan if seen on a one to one basis.

The arms race between the two traditional adversaries is fast becoming a one horse race. The Japanese have been caught napping in this arms race that began about twenty odd years ago.

This automatically bring US, an ally of Japan into the picture; there is no way that Japan could measure up to the North Korean armed might without the active help of the US.

The North Koreans are following the footsteps of their ally China in being unmindful of the concerns of the world and is bent upon making its presence felt in the field of high technology armaments particularly missiles in which it has earned the ire of the world powers including the United Nations and the US apart from the regional countries.

It is also as defiant as China and almost as provocative in their activities in the neighborhood. The international community remains a mute spectator while the North Korean nuclear juggernaut rumbles on.

It is worth noting that the launching of Kim Jong Un as the North Korean leader has spurred North Korea. In 2016 itself, The North Koreans have launched 21 missiles.

This activity is unusual and on the higher side by any standards; the regional and international community are perturbed.

The Japanese security agencies are alarmed at the speed and frequency of these launches and tests. They are worried about the inadequacy of their defensive machinery and its capabilities.

A senior Army commander of Japan expressed apprehension at the level of defense that their systems can sustain. He is amazed at the speed of development of the missile systems by North Korea.

The military authorities are acknowledging that the speed of the Korean missile development program is unprecedented. While the North Korean missiles are raining Japanese Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) is till planned to commence in next April.

This also means that the new defensive systems that are meant to destroy incoming warheads will only be ready to be inducted after a few years. The main problems that Japan faces are high costs and tight production schedules.

That brings the US ally into play if japan is attacked by North Korea. The Self Defense Forces (SDF) as the Japanese Army is called will need the US to shield them from missiles.

Japanese might
Japan has in place Patriot Missile Batteries PAC – 3 which are quite old and not as effective as the new variants. They provide protection to the cities and installations of importance in Japan.

The Japanese authorities have chalked out a plan to upgrade the Patriots. This up-gradation seeks to improve the accuracy and range of the defense shield.

But, with the program beginning in 2017 the minimum time to draw benefits from the updated systems take at least 3 years. The total layout for the program is about $ 1 billion.

Hence, the results on the ground will only be seen when the first one is likely to be ready in 2020 in time for the Tokyo Olympics slated for 2020. As against this, the North Korean missiles have a distinct advantage and will beat the aged missile defense systems of the BMD hands down.

Japan also possesses a small fleet of Aegis Missiles which have the capability to skim the lower edges of space. But, military experts believe that these missiles also need an upgrade and may not be able to tackle the Musudan with its speed and advantageous trajectory.

However, the Japanese MOD has plans to upgrade the Aegis Missiles to give them higher combat abilities.

Moreover, a joint project of the US and japan has developed a higher, more powerful variant of the SM-3 missiles.

It is called Block II A and is almost complete. Japan is likely to buy the first batch that is likely to come up by next year. Details of this procurement have not been divulged by the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

The two countries have been at loggerheads since North Korea had fired a missile over Japan in 1998. This incident took the shape of an arms race between the two neighbors.

End of Part 1

Umrao singh umraoz.wordpress.com

Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Written for: Lars-Magnus Carlsson www.thephilippinepride.com

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