Japanese Destroyer Chokai Returns to Home Port After Gaining Tomahawk Missile Launch Capabilities in U.S.
SASEBO, Nagasaki — The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis-equipped destroyer Chokai returned to its home port in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Sunday, after modification work the United States made it the first Japanese vessel capable of launching Tomahawk missiles.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis-equipped destroyer Chokai has returned to its home port in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, following modification work by the United States. This makes the Chokai the first Japanese vessel with the capability to launch Tomahawk missiles. The destroyer had been dispatched to the United States about a year ago for this purpose.
The Defense Ministry announced in March that the modifications to the Chokai were complete, and it was now capable of launching the U.S.-made long-range cruise missile. The Chokai successfully conducted a live-fire test of a Tomahawk missile in the Pacific in July. A Tomahawk missile boasts a range exceeding 1,600 kilometers and is anticipated to play a pivotal role in Japan's "counterstrike capabilities."
The ministry aims to gradually introduce Tomahawk launch capabilities to other Aegis-equipped destroyers.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
