Japan Funds Development of First Domestic Hypersonic Missiles, HVGP Block 1

The Japan Ministry of Defense has allocated funds within the approved military budget for 2026 to begin serial production of the new HVGP Block 1 hypersonic missiles.

The Japan Ministry of Defense reported on this.

The new missiles are set to be integrated into anti-ship systems and will provide Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Forces with the capability to strike targets at a range of 500-600 km.

According to the funding for these programs, $2.07 billion will be allocated for the deployment of serial production, while another $5.03 billion will be directed towards the development of an improved version of the missile, known as HVGP Block 2.

The exact number of missiles to be ordered has not been disclosed. However, it is known that they are intended to equip at least four missile regiments.

It is worth noting that the initial contract for preparing for the serial production of the HVGP Block 1 was signed back in 2023. The 2026 budget includes funding specifically for the serial production and delivery of the first batch of missiles to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces.

Militarnyi previously reported that this year Japan would begin deploying the first supersonic anti-ship missiles ASM-3A on fighter jets, thus starting the replacement of subsonic air-launched anti-ship missiles.

HVGP Block 1

HVGP Block 1 is a ballistic missile developed based on the expertise of two leading Japanese aerospace companies – IHI and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. For striking targets, it uses a glide vehicle located in the missile’s nose, which separates after reaching the required altitude and speed.

The development of Block 1 progressed rapidly: announced in the 2018 fiscal year, the missile underwent testing in 2024 and 2025 in the USA and Japan, confirming the declared characteristics.

In just eight years, Japan has been able to create a short-range ballistic missile that provides a significant advantage on the battlefield, considering the country’s lack of weapons with a range exceeding 300-500 km.

The main manufacturer of Block 1 will be Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with which a contract for production was signed in April 2023.

The new HVGP missiles will replace American M270 MLRS multiple launch rocket systems in the Ground Self-Defense Forces. The launchers will be organized into two hypersonic missile divisions, which will be deployed on the islands of Kyūshū and Hokkaidō.

The missile is planned to be placed on a self-propelled launcher based on a Mitsubishi truck with an 8×8 wheel configuration. The total weight of the launcher will be around 36 tons, with 4 tons attributed to the missile itself. Its dimensions are 7 meters in length and 530 mm in diameter.

In the transport-launch container, the length of the missile will reach 7.5 meters, and the width of the container will be about 1250 mm.

Of the total weight of the missile, approximately 2 tons are attributed to the rocket engine, which is 4.5 meters long and 530 mm in diameter. The length of the engine itself is 4 meters, with an additional 50 cm occupied by the solid rocket booster required for ejecting the missile from the container.