Japan eyes using Indian test ranges for powerful missiles and small attack drones

Japan has dispatched officials to India to examine the possibility of using the South Asian nation’s missile ranges for testing long-range weapons, including its Type 25 anti-ship missile, as well as smaller attack drones, the Ground Self-Defense Force’s top uniformed officer said Tuesday.

GSDF Chief of Staff Gen. Masayoshi Arai told reporters that officials had been dispatched to India as part of efforts to determine how to conduct training that makes full use of the Type-25’s roughly 1,000-kilometer range — something he characterized as “a major challenge.” 

“We are currently examining this issue, including how to secure training environments domestically and, if necessary, how to utilize training environments overseas,” Arai said.

The officials were sent to India earlier this month, NHK reported, inspecting a number of sites in the country over about one week.

But Japan is also eyeing weapon ranges abroad for more than just its longer-range missiles. 

Arai said the dispatch to India also saw the officials discuss the possibility of conducting tests of small attack drones at the ranges.

Japan is aiming to build a multilayered coastal defense system that incorporates large numbers of “inexpensive unmanned aerial, surface and underwater vehicles” — for both reconnaissance and attack purposes — as well as standoff missiles to attack from outside an enemy’s range.

Arai noted numerous challenges to training for what is known as the Synchronized, Hybrid, Integrated and Enhanced Littoral Defense (SHIELD) drone system inside Japan, including the use of radio frequencies and communication with drones, which officials have said could affect civilian televisions and smartphones, as well as safety concerns and the need for coordination with local governments.

“We are currently examining how to secure training environments (for small attack drones) within Japan, as well as … how to seek out or utilize training environments overseas as needed,” he said.

During a meeting in August, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles announced that the quasi-allies were working toward giving Japan improved access to Australia’s missile testing ranges.

This move, taken together with the discussions on India’s sites, would give Tokyo options for longer-range missile tests — a necessity as it develops powerful new missiles to deter Chinese military adventurism near Japan’s periphery and respond to North Korea’s increasingly advanced missile arsenal.

Japan test-fired an anti-ship missile during military exercises for the first time in Australia in 2023 and did so again last year in a more complex launch.

“If the Japan Self-Defense Forces are able to conduct test launches of standoff missiles, such as hypersonic missiles in Australia, it will be a groundbreaking development,” Koizumi said in August, adding that the two sides planned to “accelerate” discussions on the matter.

Marles said the talks were focused on an “enhanced arrangement” that could cover the sites’ usage “over the course of the next decade across a range of missile capabilities.”