Way to go, North Korea. China must be seething that US/Japanese relations have warmed to the point of allowing the missile defense shield to forward deploy.
Japan and the United States, facing North Korea’s apparent plans to test-launch a long-range missile, have agreed to deploy advanced Patriot interceptor missiles on American bases in Japan for the first time, officials said Monday.
The U.S. plans to deploy the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles — designed to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or aircraft — as soon as possible, a Japanese Defense Agency spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with agency policy, said the sites and exact timing for the deployment have not yet been decided.
The plan was first reported Monday in Japan’s largest newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. It said the U.S. military would deploy three or four batteries of the surface-to-air missiles on the southern island of Okinawa by the end of the year and send 500-600 additional U.S. troops there.
Oh,Oh…Jarheads and Doggies…
Hope they can get along.
Papa Ray
Hm, the photo seems to be of a PAC-1 or PAC-2 system. PAC-3 missiles are much smaller and fit 16 to a launcher, I think, rather than 4.
How will Patriot Missles stationed on Oki be any use to to the main islands of Japan?
If it flies it dies…. always liked the ADA motto
yep, 16 to a launcher as the PAC-3 missiles are only 10″ in diameter. Unlike the PAC-2, they have no warhead and engage in direct ramming of the target.
The lancher container also doubles as a shipping container. Makes it very easy to deploy.
Correction, it does have a warhead for added impact and a proximity fuse for near misses.
Dear most honorable American Fighting Forces:
Please ignore past invectives and rants, plus demonstrations designed to push the most honorable American military out of Okinawa and kindly send most modern Patriot systems as a sign of continued Yankee Imperialist occupation.
Many thanks,
The Prime Minister of Japan.
PS — Sorry about those offensive wise cracks made toward your most honorable esteemed president Bush. Too much sake. You know. Do you have something like Second Day shipment for those Patriots? Much appreciated.
This is old news and has been in the work for years. It has absolutely nothing to do with the nK recent TD-2 buildup.
Mike, I think you are right that they are designed to be hit-to-kill but I suppose the warhead enhances lethality with a relatively small weight penalty, and gives you a small chance of taking out the target with a near-miss. I suspect the PAC-2s are lethal out to quite a large radius, in comparison.
Next step, give Japan 50 or more minuteman missiles armed and ready. Targeted for N.K. and China. Spent three years in Japan, they can handle them.
Can we also give Japan those clowns (literal clowns) who attack MM silos?
Hey thanks for uhhh… totally putting information online for any opposing forces to read. You are all very smart. Doesn’t anyone understand that even the most simplest remark of data can give them something to go on? And yes, I am aware that they know more than what is posted here. Some dumb private might find this and ‘show-off’ their knowledge of units or movements or anything!