Japan wants to produce containerized launchers for Tomahawk missiles

Japan is negotiating the production of Mk70 containerized launchers, which allow for the rapid deployment of cruise missiles on sea and land platforms.

This was reported by the American company Lockheed Martin to Naval News.

The company is holding preliminary talks with the Japanese industry on technology transfer to launch licensed production of Mk70 containerized launchers.

These units are a variant of the Mk41 ship launchers, which have been adapted for land launches as part of the MRC Typhon missile systems. With dimensions identical to a standard 40-foot shipping container, they can be transported by ordinary trucks or placed on ships, making them extremely versatile.

Each Mk70 launcher contains four cells that can accommodate existing types of shipboard missiles: Raytheon Tomahawk subsonic cruise missiles or SM-6 long-range anti-aircraft missiles capable of intercepting air and ballistic missiles.

Due to their relatively small size and autonomy, such systems can be quickly deployed on any ship, providing it with significant firepower. Japan has a fleet of more than fifty destroyers and frigates capable of carrying up to three such containers on a helipad.

The interest of Japanese industrialists in American missile systems is likely a continuation of the government’s strategy to build up the country’s defense capabilities. In 2023, Japan negotiated the purchase of Tomahawk cruise missiles as a deterrent that would allow it to hit enemy targets at long distances.

In 2024, Japan signed a contract for the supply of 200 Tomahawk Block 4 cruise missiles, the first of which, according to the contract, were to be delivered in 2025.

It is worth noting that last year the United States intended to deploy the MRC Typhon system to the Japanese islands, but Tokyo denied the possibility of deploying such weapons on its territory. Not least of all, this was due to public fear of a possible escalation of tensions with China, to which these missiles pose a threat.

If deployed, the missile system’s strike zone would include the entire eastern coast of the country, as well as Taiwan and part of the South China Sea.

However, the Japanese military has shown interest in the new American system: at about the same time, Lieutenant General Kazuo Sakai, Chief of Staff of the Ground Self-Defense Forces Command, visited Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State, where the headquarters of the 1st Multidisciplinary Task Force, currently the only unit operating the Typhon, is located.

Along with the deployment of US long-range systems, Japan is developing its own Type 12 self-propelled cruise missile. The new missile should have a range of up to 2000 km and be used both for anti-ship warfare and for destroying ground targets at long distances.