Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
August 30, 2008
IWG Report 2007
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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ASM-2 (Type 93)
| Country: | Japan |
|---|---|
| Class: | ALCM |
| Target: | Ship |
| Length: | 4.10 m |
| Diameter: | 0.35 m |
| Wingspan: | 0.90 m |
| Launch Weight: | 520.00 kg |
| Payload: | 150 kg HE, SAP; or 225 kg HE |
| Propulsion: | Turbojet |
| Range: | 100.00 km |
| Guidance: | INS, datalink, IIR |
| Status: | Operational |
| In Service: | 1998-Present |
Details
The ASM-2 (Type 93) is a short-range, solid propellant, turbojet-powered, single warhead, air-to-surface cruise missile developed and manufactured by Japan.
The ASM-1 (Type 80) is Japan’s first indigenous air-to-surface missile and the primary weapon for the Mitsubishi F-1 support aircraft. It was designed primarily as a coastal defense weapon, although it can also be used against a variety of surface targets including ships, truck convoys, light armored vehicles, buildings, and bridges.
Development began in 1973, and the first test launch took place in 1977. The development phase was completed in 1980 and production started the same year. The first prototype missile evaluated by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) in 1981 and 1982. The ASM-1 is believed to have entered service with the JASDF in 1983. It is currently deployed on the Mitsubishi F-1, F-4J Phantom, and the P-3C Orion aircraft, and possibly the F-2 aircraft as well.
The ASM-2 (Type 93) is a longer-range version of the ASM-1 (Type 80). Design work began in the mid-1980s, and full-scale development began in 1987. The ASM-2 utilized guidance and propulsion technology developed for the land-based SSM-1 (Type 88). Flight trials of the ASM-2 started in 1990, and initial production began in 1993. The missile entered service in 1998 and is currently deployed on Mitsubishi F-1, F-2, P-3C Orion, and F-15J Eagle aircraft.
The ASM-2 (Type 93) is similar in size and shape to the ASM-1 (Type 80). It is cylindrical in shape with a rounded nose, four delta-shaped wings just behind the mid-body, and four delta-shaped fins in the rear. The missile is 4.1 m in length, has a body diameter of 0.35 m, and has a launch weight of 520 kg. Its guidance system is inertial with updates and an imaging infrared seeker for terminal guidance. It carries a 150 or 225 kg high explosive semi-armor piercing warhead, and has a maximum range of 100 km.
Japan is also believed to have developed an upgraded ASM-2 version (Type 96) to serve as a common air- and ground-launched missile.(1)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 45 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, July 2006), pp. 84-86; GlobalSecurity.org, “ASM-2 Type 93,” available at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/type-93-asm.htm, accessed on August 1, 2006; “Anti-Ship ASMs,” Jane’s Missiles and Rockets, September 9, 1998.
