ORIGINAL LINK : https://blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?blogId=rgm84d&logNo=223305707467
One of the concepts for the Aegis system-equipped ship of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Based on the time of disclosure, it is the latest model.
Currently The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is operating a total of 8 Aegis escort ships, combining 4 Kongo-class, 2 Atago-class, and 2 Maya-class for wide-area air defense missions and ballistic missile defense (BMD) missions. Subsequently, after 2027, it plans to add 2 Aegis system-equipped vessels (ASEV: Aegis System-Equipped Vessels).
According to a report by Japanese journalist Shinichi Kiyotani, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is preparing a project to replace the retiring Kongo-class Aegis ship with 2 new Aegis ships and at the same time, replace the SPY-1D(v) radar of the current Atago-class and Maya-class Aegis ships..
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was pushing for a project to unify by deploying the SPY-7 radar, which is to be installed on the Aegis-equipped ship (ASEV), to all of the 2 new Aegis ships and the current Atago and Maya-class..
The Aegis Ashore system is basically constructed by moving only the components that make up the Aegis BMD from the Aegis destroyer/cruiser to the ground facility.
Adoption and spread of SPY-7
Japan originally planned to deploy the Aegis Ashore, a ground-based Aegis system, to respond to North Korea’s ballistic missile threat, but it could not solve the problem of the SM-3 guided missile’s booster rocket falling to the ground. As a result, it is proceeding with the construction of a large ship equipped with the SPY-7 radar ordered for Aegis Ashore, that is, the Aegis-equipped ship (ASEV) construction project.
Japan’s Aegis system-equipped ship was designed to operate the LMSSR (Lockheed Martin Solid State Radar), a new radar named SPY-7, which competed with SPY-6 in the AMDR (Air and Missile Defense Radar) project of the U.S. Navy.
The SPY-7 radar ordered for Aegis Ashore is a 14x18ft(4.2×5.4m) rectangular standard, which is larger than the existing SPY-1D(v) and the SPY-6(v)1 used by the U.S. Navy’s new destroyer, the Arleigh Burke Flight III, and its output is also significantly stronger.
The Arleigh Burke Flight III Aegis destroyer, equipped with the SPY-6 AMDR, failed to adopt the target 20ft(6m) class antenna and is installing a reduced 14ft(4.2m) class antenna.
If you add up the four high-output radar antennas and the cooling system and the back-end system, the weight of the radar system easily exceeds X00 tons, making it difficult to install at an appropriate location on a platform with a full load displacement of less than 10,000 tons..
Also, in order to operate a high-output radar stably, a large-scale power generation and power supply system must be configured to stably supply the required power.
As a result, the confirmed Aegis system-equipped ship is planned to appear as a large ship with a standard displacement of over 1X,000 tons and a full load displacement of over 1X,000 tons.
Maya-class Aegis ship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Japan is considering a project to replace the SPY-1D(v) installed on the Maya-class with SPY-7.
◆ Unify with SPY-7?
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was pushing for a project to replace the SPY-7 with the SPY-1D(v) installed on the 2 new Aegis ships as well as the current Atago and Maya-class, since it has introduced SPY-7.
The current Atago and Maya-class cannot install the large SPY-7 radar for Aegis Ashore, but fortunately, SPY-7 is modular, so it is possible to miniaturize it, and in fact, Canada and Spain have adopted a miniaturized model.
Therefore, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was considering a project to invest 373.1 billion yen (approximately 3.5 trillion won) in the construction of new Aegis ships and radar replacement projects.
This is a concept diagram of the SPY-7 radar to be installed on Spain’s next escort ship, the F110.
But then the Japanese political circle appears. The Liberal Democratic Party, the ruling party in Japan, demanded that the radar of the Aegis system-equipped ship be replaced from SPY-7 to SPY-6, the standard model of the U.S. Navy, even if a penalty is paid for strengthening interoperability with the U.S. Navy.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force refused the LDP’s demand, saying that if the introduction project is changed, additional time and budget will be needed, and SPY-7 is superior in performance and cheaper. Instead, it announced that it would first install the SPY-7 radar on the Aegis system-equipped ship, and review the rest of the ships, thereby initially defusing the opposition.
But in fact, the Maritime Self-Defense Force naturally felt burdened to operate two types of new radars, so internally, it planned to unify all Aegis ship radars to SPY-7.
◆ U.S. RTX’s involvement?
However, recently, RTX (Raytheon) has started groundwork to sell SPY-6 to Japan by procuring the SPY-6 radar power supply system from Mitsubishi Electric in Japan and proposing to jointly develop SPY-6 multi-static technology.
In other words, it has started groundwork to sell SPY-6 to Japan, so the project to invest 373.1 billion yen to construct new Aegis ships and replace radars at the same time has been suspended.
From the Japanese company’s perspective, it can increase its stake by participating in the SPY-6 radar project, and from the Japanese government’s perspective, it is a way to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. Navy.
In comparison, the Maritime Self-Defense Force of Japan has faced the worst situation where it can operate both the already deployed SPY-7 and the new SPY-6, in a situation where SPY-6 is more expensive than SPY-7.
