JAL Seeks For Space Travel After Supersonic Airliner

JAL Goes to Space after Supersonic Airliner: it teams up with ‘ispace,’ a space start-up

the editor, December 18. 2017

Japan Airlines (9201 TSE) announced its capital collaboration with ispace, a startup space company for seeking future habitation in outer space.

JAL will work closely with ispace for mutual promotion as well as support for operation, maintenance and space flight. JAL regards this venture as a way to create new value for the society.

This would be something related with ‘space travel,’ one of other area of JAL’s new business domains for expanding its business.  The Japanese airliner previously announced its collaboration with Boon Technologies for development of a new supersonic airliner.

JAL is one of corporate members to sponor HAKUTO lunar exploration team led by ispace. based in Tokyo.

Corporate visions of ispace is “Expand our planet. Expand our future,’ and lunar exploration is jut a step toward coming deep space exploration for expanding human habitation. The company seeks for lunar orbit flight and lunar landing as the only Japanese entratnt for Google Lunar XPRIZE.

Once bankrupt, Japan Airlines is now free from any restraint due to corporate rehabilitation supervised by the government of Japan.

Tokyo Starts to Develop Its Onw Tomahawk Soon

 

Japan is slated to develop its own version of Tomahawk missile

　Yomiuri Shimbun

November 20,2017

The editor

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on November 20 that the government of of Japan (GOJ) has started to study feasibility to develop a brand new land attack cruise missile indigenously.  Initial development phase will be requested in fiscal 2018 budget plans that will start April 2018.

This is to add land attack capability to already-planned new anti-ship missile whose R&D study is going to start in fiscal 2018.

This would be the first of kind for Japan to develop land attack cruise missile; even though GOJ will insist that the new missile will be used when Japan will retake its distant island portion of its territory, presumably Senkaku Islands and such. However, theoretically, such cruise missile can be used to attack land facilities including missile launching pads in North Korea.

Such functions are already available with Raytheon's Tomahawk land attack cruise missile and GOJ officials call this new cruise missile concept ‘Japanese Tomahawk.’

Earlier this year, there was discussion among the leading politicians and GOJ to acquire Tomahawk missiles from U.S. to install on Aegis destroyers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet.

Disturbed by several missile launching by North Korea particularly this year,there has been increasing talk on possible preemptive strike capability to be owned by Japan, based on assumption ‘We cannot sit down just watching those lousy North Korean missiles to be launched and coming over us.’

It should be true that ruling party LDP politicians were impressed by last April’s attack on the Syrian chemical weapons deposit by Tomahawk missile ordered by President Donald Trump.

However, the current constitution, especially Article 9, can be interpreted to prohibit Japan to own offensive weaponry and its use including preemptive strike and the ruling Liberal Democrats, actually righter than middle of the road, will be forced to issue new interpretation of the constitution that LDP wishes to amend since its birth in 1955.■

Should Japan Have Tomahawk Missiles to Attack North Korea?

Japan Studies to Have Offensive Military Bases Amid Rising Fear of North Korea

 

2017/8/5

the Editor

Nikkei Shimbun reported on Saturday that the Ministry of Defense would start its study on whether Japan should possess strike capability to such enemy targets as ballistic missile facilities.  As the national defense guideline would be revised in around the end of the next year, the ministry would study introduction of the capability as deterrent to the North Korea.

Nikkei Shimbun

Japan has no capability and equipment to attack any other country as it has boasted ‘exclusively defensive policy,’ in which Japan could employ its defense forces only when it is attacked while limiting its forces for exclusive use of its defence.’

The government and the majority party officials are calling for introduction of Tomahawk cruise missile from USA by means of foreign military sales.

Japan is concerned with rapid development of nuclear and ballistic missile technologies of North Korea, including ICBMs and new type of ballistic missile converted from SLBMs.

In March, the national security study group within LDP, the majority party, advocatedadovocated to possessposess offensive military capability to enemy bases. The report was mainly compiled by Itsunori Onodera who has just inaugurated as the new Minister of Defense this week.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed his newly appointed defense minister, Itsunori Onodera, to commence works to revise the national defense guideline. The ministry of defense would hope to include its intention to acquire new capabilities to attack enemy military bases.

Japan's New Anti-Ship Supersonic Missile

JAPAN Starts Full-Production of New Supersonic Air-to-Ship Missile Soon

A mock-up of XASM-3

JULY17, 2017

From various sources

The Editor

------

The government of Japan has decided to introduce XASM-3, newly developed supersonic air-to-ship missiles to F-2 fighters of Japanese air force from the next fiscal year starting April 2018.

With appropriation of hundreds of million yen budget for procurement, Tokyo hopes the missile moves into series production stage. The new missile is first supersonic flying type to be produced indigenously and hard to be detected. Once equipped to F-2 fighters, it will deter the Chinese navy which is asserting more vocal in the East China Sea and elsewhere.

The new missile to be designated ASM-3 will fly Mach 3 and faster than subsonic missiles of type 80 (ASM-1) and type 93 (ASM-2) that are already introduced in the inventory.

With reduced time to reach a target, while flying so low to avoid radar detection, it would be harder for enemy ship to intercept this missile.

ASM-3 employs Integral Rocket Ramjet (IRR), a combination of solid fuel and ram jet engine for higher flying speed of Mach 3+. Its dual seeker using active radar homing and passive radar homing enhances counter ECM functions. Stand-off firing can make F-2 safer to survive.

Specifications

• Length：5.52m (18.1 ft.)
• Width: 1.19m z(3.9 ft.)
• Diameter: 0.35m (1.15 ft.)
• Max sped：Mach 3 +
• Rnage：80nm+
• Weight：900kg (1,984 lb.)
• Thrust：Integral Rocket-Ramjet
• Guidance method：Inertia/GPS (intermediate phase) + Active/Passive (terminal phase)

XASM-3 is uner devlopment by Mitsubishi Heavy Industiries.

NGO: New Exhibition Center to be built next to Runway

With New International Exhibition Halls on Airport Island, Aichi Hopes to Get Windfall Profit from 2020 Olympics

 

Prefecture of Aichi at central part of Japan including cities of Nagoya and Toyota, has agreed with both Nagoya Customs and Central Japan Airport to make the prefectural international exhibition arena at Centrair Nagoya international airport, scheduled to open in autumn 2019, the nation’s first permanent ‘bonded exhibition halls,’ meaning tax-free service for any exhibitors of the world.  Under the current tax and customs policy of Japan, even a temporary exhibition is regarded as import of goods and subject to 3-6% of customs except for completed automobiles and aircraft that are duty free but all of them are subject to 8%-consumption tax that can be refunded when they are unsold in Japan and taken back to home countries.

‘Bonded exhibition hall’ will offer no custom duty nor consumption tax status of all exhibitors to the arena, as incentive for them.

The new exhibition halls  to be built on the airport island will be as wide as 60,000 sq. meters (646,000 sq. feet) in all, consisting of 6 exhibition halls.

Aichi prefecture has announced its plan to construct the exhibition arena to be completed in 2019, a year before 2020 Tokyo summer olympic games when Tokyo’s existing exhibition centers will be used for the olympic games. Then, it is expected to call those events into Aichi and generating JPY150 billion (USD 1.3 billion) benefit to the local economy.

Buildings of the exhibition arena will be as simple as possible for shorter construction period and cost for more competitiveness to invite more events.

The airport island was all reclaimed off the coast and the Centrair airport is the biggest tenant of the island owned by the Aichi Prefecture. There is still a room for expansion on the island even after the proposed exhibition arena is completed.

Exhibitors can land of the airport and stay at one of the hotels on the island while attending international exhibitions.

Centrair, of Central Japan International Airport, is the nation’s gateway to the central part of the country and Boeing flies four flights to collect components of 787 including wings and fuselage for Washington state.

Frustrated ANA will get extra 737-800s as Filler of Delayed MRJs

2017/4/7 the editor

NIKKEI　reports ANA Holdings has decided to acquire Boeing 737-800s in place of MRJ, a Mitsubishi regional jet, that is being delayed in delivery due to prolonged developmment. Those Boing jets will start oprations in local cities lines from fiscal 2018.   ANA was supposed to be the launch customer of MRJ for the hope of its fuel economy but the largest Japanese airliner is facing with its revision of investment plans.

MRJ was originally scheduled to be delivered to ANA as soon as late 2013 but it is still in redesigning state.

ANA will introduce four Boeing 737-800 with 160 seat configuration by leasing. Those new 737s will replace 737-500 with 120 seats currently in operation based on Chubu international airport and other regional airports.

ANA Holdings has already introduced the same 737-800 with 30 over units in operation. But as MRJ has fewer seats and those 737-800s will add risks of more empty seats and lowered investment returns. ANA will work harder to allure more foreign tourists to those local lines.

ANA Holdings may ask financial compensation to Mitsubishi Aircraft, the manufacturer of MRJ, adding another problem to Mitsubishi.

Japan's C-2 Formally Deployed by JASDF Now

Development of Ｃ-2 Transport is Completed and Deployment Started

March 30, 2017

Edited from various sources

Ministry of Defense

Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) started the deployment of new and indigenous C-2 military transport on March 30.  The first three aircraft started the deployment and JASDF will deploy a total of 10 C-2s by 2020 at Miho Base, Tottori, facing the Sea of Japan and closer to the Korean peninsula.

Three aircraft will start operational test until September 2018, while they will be put into real operations partially to replace aging C-1 transports.

Compared with C-1, C-2 is bigger by 1.5 times in size and range and will prove its capability for defense of Japan’s far reaching islands as well as international peace keeping operations.

C-2 is produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and share components with P-1 maritime patrol jet already in service by Japanese navy.

---Specification of C-2

Length: 44 meters

Width: 44 m

Power plant: CF6-80C2K1F 22,680kg（50,000lb） × 2

Cargo space : L15.7×W4×H4m

Empty weight : 60.8t

Cargo capacity : 32t（2.5G）、36t（2.25G）

Maximum takeoff weight: 141t

Max speed: Mach 0.82（917 km/h）

Cruise speed: Mach 0.8]（890 km/h

Range: 9,800km/0t、7,600km/20t、5,700km/30t、4,500km/36t[

Ceiling limit: 40,000 ft （12,200 m）

Minimum take-off length: 500 m

Radar Satellite #5 Launched

Japan Succeeded in Launching Radar Satellite #5

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and  the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched H-IIA rocket #33 from Tanegashima Space Center, southern part of Japan, at 10:20:00 Japan Standard Time, March 17. The launcher carried Information gathering satellite using radar #5 unit.

They found the successful separation of the satellite later. The satellite later was confirmed in orbit as planned.

This time’s successful launching of H-IIA marked the 27th consecutively and its functionality rate has reached to 97%,

The radar satellite #5 would take place of the satellite #3 which was launched in 2012 and reaching to the end of its designed life.

Except for the newly launched satellite, Japan operates six-satellites, three optical and three radar satellites respectively for information gathering.

As North Korea is showing its assertiveness in launching ballistic missiles and claims to target U.S. military installations in Japanese homeland, information gathering is getting more critical for the security reason.

The fifth radar satellite is reportedly carrying more advanced radar resolution of  50cm, instead of 1 meter by previous birds.

Breaking News: First Defense Comm Satellite Launched Successfully

2017/1/24 18:00

Kyodo

Japan has launched H2A carrying the Defense Ministry’s own communication satellite successfully today.  On 17:18 JST, the satellite was separated from the rocket.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JAXA launched Kirameki-2 from Tanegashima Space Center, southern part of Japan.

Defense Ministry is currently using commercial communication satellites to relay internal communication among its forces.  With the new satellite for exclusive use for the military forces, it is expected to enhance communication efficiency in the event of natural calamities as well as with foreign counterparts.

Japan’s first defense satellites will use X-band for uninterrupted communication.  Another bird, Kirameki -1 was damaged during transportation and it is under repairment and will be launched in 2018.