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Japan, US near deal to jointly develop high-power anti-drone microwave weapons
- Tokyo is keen to develop countermeasures to ward off possible drones attacks involving Chinese forces in areas off southern Japan, analysts say
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Japan and the United States are on the verge of signing an agreement on the joint development of high-power microwave weapons designed to protect military personnel and equipment from attacks by drones.
The deal comes as little surprise given the spectacular successes of unmanned vehicles deployed in conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, analysts say, with Tokyo particularly keen to develop countermeasures against swarms of drones that are expected to accompany any contingency involving Chinese forces in areas off southern Japan.
“Drones are now being used as weapons as well as in intelligence-gathering, monitoring and communications roles, and it is fair to say that from now on, no war will be fought without drones,” said Kazuto Suzuki, a professor of science and technology policy at Tokyo University.
“They have already proved to be very useful and very effective on the battlefield and there are many benefits to using drones, including not incurring casualties on the user’s side and having a relatively inexpensive drone being able to target and destroy enemy weapons systems that can be worth many millions of dollars,” he told This Week in Asia.
Events in Ukraine and in the brief flare-up in hostilities in the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh district in late 2023 have brought home to military planners around the world the importance of drones and the need to develop countermeasures.
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