Japan to Develop Air Defense System to Counter Drones with Combined Interception System

Japan has begun developing a new air defense system designed to counter small drones.

According to Yomiuri media outlet, the project is based on a document from Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

The new system will combine three types of weapons on a single self-propelled platform: missiles, an automatic cannon, and a laser.

The system will be called CRADS (Close Range Air Defense System).

Japan’s Ministry of Defense plans to include the development of CRADS in its budget request for fiscal year 2027.

CRADS is planned to be introduced into service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. To enhance mobility, the system is expected to be mounted on a wheeled chassis.

The system will complement the Type 93 air defense systems already in service, which use missiles derived from the Type 91 man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS).

The work is being carried out in parallel with a large-scale program to modernize Japan’s surface-to-air missile systems. In addition to CRADS, the Ministry of Defense is funding the development of a new wheeled air defense system equipped with new missiles, which is intended to replace the Type 93 in service.

Meanwhile, Japan is developing another system based on air-launched missiles. This approach has become increasingly widespread in recent years amid the integration of missile capabilities between the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force had awarded two contracts to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toshiba to develop a surface-to-air guided missile based on an air-to-air missile.

The document does not specify which missile will serve as the basis for the new surface-to-air guided missile. However, all indications point to the AAM-5.

Of Japan’s two main air-to-air missile families, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries manufactures the AAM-5, while Mitsubishi Electric is the prime contractor for the medium-range AAM-4 missile.