Japanese F-15s to Get Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles

By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News

Japan’s military marked the Fourth of July by further celebrating its independence from the post-World War II constitution that limited the armed forces to a strictly defensive role.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced it has acquired US-made cruise missiles that will turn the F-15J from a pure fighter jet into a fighter-bomber with deep-strike, stand-off capability. The move comes at a time when Japan faces new challenges from China.

Japan is buying 50 of Lockheed Martin’s AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER). According to Forbes, the MoD is spending $5.6 billion to upgrade 68 single-seat F-15s to carry the weapon. It’s possible that 34 of Japan’s two-seat F-15s – similar to the US F-15E Strike Eagles – could also be modified.

The missile sale also includes anti-jam global positioning systems, missile containers and training missiles.

With the new missiles, the Japanese planes will be able to carry out stand-off strikes outside the range of enemy air defenses. The JASSM-ER has a range of 575 miles and carries a 1,000-pound warhead. Its wings are folded to reduce its size while being carried, and deploy automatically after launch.

Both Poland and have acquired the extended-range version of the missile. In the US, it can be launched from a wide variety of platforms, ranging from the venerable B-52 to the F/A-18 to the C-17 transport.

Placing the weapon on the F-15J will be just the start for Japan. The Japanese air force’s F-35s and Mitsubishi F-2s will also eventually carry long-range missiles.