Japan Signs $275M Deal With Mitsubishi for PAC-3 MSE Missiles

The Japan Ministry of Defense has ordered PAC-3 MSE surface-to-air missiles for the Patriot air defense systems operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Details of the contract were released by the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA).

The contract was signed with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in December 2025. The company is the only qualified manufacturer of these missiles in Japan.

The deal is valued at 43,439,880,000 yen ($275.33 million).
Japan currently operates 24 Patriot air defense batteries with around 120 launchers. Six air defense groups are responsible for protecting strategically important areas of the country.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is one of the key companies in the global supply chain for Patriot missile components.

In addition, Japan remains the unique and currently the only producer of gyroscopes used in the guidance systems of Patriot PAC-2 surface-to-air missiles.

It should be recalled that on July 17, 2014, the Japanese government officially approved the export of these gyroscopes to the United States. At that time, the U.S. planned to resume production of PAC-2 missiles, but had lost its own technology for manufacturing these components, prompting Washington to request assistance from Tokyo.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries continues to produce these gyroscopes under license for the needs of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, which made it possible to meet the U.S. request.

In addition to meeting its own requirements for Patriot missiles, Japan has also exported missiles to the United States. In November 2025, Japan’s Defense Minister Minoru Kihara announced the completion of deliveries of Japan-made Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles to the United States.

According to Kihara, the missiles were transferred from the stocks of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to replenish U.S. inventories that had been depleted due to support for other countries, primarily Ukraine.

The Japanese government confirmed that the missiles will remain under U.S. control and will support the needs of American forces, including those deployed in the Indo-Pacific region.