Japan is upgrading its Patriot PAC-3 missile defense system in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, adding range and accuracy needed to intercept more advanced North Korean ballistic missiles, four sources with knowledge of the plan said.
The move represents the most significant upgrade to Japan’s missile defense system in a decade and is part of an increase in military spending in the region, where geopolitical tensions are rising.
The rollout of the new advanced Missile Segment Enhancement, which could double the range of the current PAC-3 missiles to around 30 km (19 miles), will likely start next year, said the sources, who were not authorised to speak publicly about the project.
“The upgraded PAC-3 is necessary to counter the Musudan,” said one source, referring to Pyongyang’s intermediate-range ballistic missile.
North Korea in June test-fired what appeared to be two Musudan rockets. The first failed, but the second traveled 400 km (250 miles), more than halfway towards the southwest coast of Japan and reached a height of 1,000 km – enough altitude to give its warhead a range of more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles).
Experts said that test represented a technological advance for the Pyongyang regime, which is also developing nuclear weapons.
It puts it one step closer to being able to lob a warhead that could plunge to its target at speeds of several kilometers a second, potentially too fast for the current PAC-3 batteries that are the last line of defense against missile strikes.
