US, Japan to develop hypersonic missile interceptor after President Biden, PM Kishida meeting
- An agreement to target weapons designed to evade existing ballistic missile defences is expected when President Joe Biden meets Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday
- Unlike typical ballistic warheads, which fly on predictable trajectories, hypersonic projectiles can change course, making them more difficult to target
Japan and the US will agree this week to jointly develop an interceptor missile to counter hypersonic warheads being developed by China, Russia and North Korea, Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper said on Sunday.
The agreement on interceptors to target weapons designed to evade existing ballistic missile defences is expected when President Joe Biden meets Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the US on Friday, the report said, without giving any source for the information.
Officials at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached for comment outside business hours.
Unlike typical ballistic warheads, which fly on predictable trajectories as they fall from space to their targets, hypersonic projectiles can change course, making them more difficult to target.
Biden and Kishida are to meet the sidelines of a trilateral summit with South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, the Yomiuri said.