Two new ships with Aegis systems, which Japan plans to build as part of a plan to strengthen its missile defense system, will cost the country at least 900 billion yen (over $ 8.3 billion at the current exchange rate). This was reported by the national newspaper The Asahi.
It is emphasized that this price is twice the price that the Japanese authorities originally expected. According to the newspaper's sources in the defense department, the cost of building new ships may even exceed the mark of 1 trillion yen (more than $ 9.2 billion).
Japan previously intended to purchase two Aegis Ashore ground-based systems from the United States, which were supposed to protect the entire country from a ballistic missile strike.
However, last summer, Tokyo abandoned this plan. It was stated that when launching missiles from ground installations, it is impossible to guarantee the fall of their upper stages strictly within the military base or in the sea, which threatens the safety of the population.
The construction of new ships is seen as an alternative to the Aegis Ashore. They can be equipped with SPY-7 radars manufactured by the American corporation Lockheed Martin, which must be delivered under previous contracts for the deployment of ground-based missile defense systems, Eadaily notes.
