The Drive:


The Japanese Ministry of Defense is considering using unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with infrared sensors to provide early warning of potential attacks on the country by hypersonic missiles. Recent reports from the country indicate that the drone-based detection system has been proposed as one response to high-speed weapons developments in China and Russia and specifically to counter a new class of ballistic missiles carrying hypersonic glide vehicles.

According to a story on the website of the Sankei Shinbun daily, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced the plan on August 7 as part of what the newspaper described as Tokyo’s “rush to develop capabilities to counter the development of hypersonic weapons…”



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