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US, Japan agree to set up AMRAAM missile assembly plant in Japan under ‘Operation Supercharge’
In Short
The US and Japan agree to establish an AMRAAM missile final assembly and inspection facility in Japan under Operation Supercharge, strengthening defence cooperation, missile production and the Indo-Pacific security partnership.
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US, Japan agree to set up AMRAAM missile assembly plant in Japan under ‘Operation Supercharge’
Washington: The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a final assembly and inspection facility in Japan for the AMRAAM air-to-air missile, a step that Tokyo described as “groundbreaking” for allied missile production in the Indo-Pacific.
Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the agreement at a press conference in Cebu, the Philippines, on Wednesday after meeting US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.
“We finally reached an agreement on the establishment of a final assembly and inspection facility in Japan for the AMRAAM air-to-air missile, which is essential for the F-35,” Koizumi said.
“This is a groundbreaking agreement that will not only ensure the acquisition of equipment needed by both Japan and the United States, but will also strengthen Japan’s defense industry base.”
Koizumi said the two sides also agreed to share the technical information needed to increase production of the SM-3 Block IIA, the ship-based ballistic missile interceptor jointly developed by the two countries.
Both steps fall under “Operation Supercharge”, an initiative Koizumi first proposed to Hegseth at their meeting in Singapore on May 30 “to further accelerate bilateral efforts including the co-development and co-production of missiles, such as SM-3 Block IIA and AMRAAM”, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense.
The Pentagon’s readout of the Hegseth-Koizumi meeting did not mention the AMRAAM facility. It said Hegseth “welcomed Japan’s efforts to strengthen its defense industrial capacity, and both leaders committed to continue close coordination on critical munitions production.”
The readout said the two discussed greater defence investment, expanded access and presence, realistic training including live-fire exercises, and distributed operations for denial defence in the First Island Chain.
Koizumi did not name the Japanese industrial partner, the location of the plant, a timeline or expected output.
The AMRAAM, made by RTX’s Raytheon, is fired by fighter jets including the F-35 and from ground-based air defence systems. In September, the Pentagon awarded Raytheon a multiyear AMRAAM contract worth up to $20.7 billion; an earlier framework agreement calls for production of at least 1,900 missiles a year.
The Japan plant would be the latest step in a broader US push to expand allied co-production of munitions in the Indo-Pacific, where Washington and its partners have flagged concern about China’s military build-up. At the May meeting, Koizumi and Hegseth also discussed cooperation with Australia, South Korea and the Philippines, according to Japan’s Defence Ministry.
Japan has eased its rules on defence equipment exports in recent years, a revision Koizumi briefed Hegseth on in May.
