US Army soldiers in Japan guard a radar site (AN/TPY-2).
The U.S. Department of Defense and Japanese Ministry of Defense announced today the deployment of a second Army Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance (AN/TPY-2) radar in Japan to Kyogamisaki to enhance sensor coverage for ballistic missile defense of Japan and the U.S. homeland.
Location: The Kyogamisaki Communications Site (KCS) radar will augment an existing radar located at Shariki in northern Japan.
“With the assistance of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Department of Defense fielded and tested the radar and constructed the facility in Japan. The radar has now been delivered for use by the U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Northern Command”, according to the Pentagon.
The AN/TPY-2 radar is a transportable system that performs as a highly-capable sensor for both homeland and regional missile defense. Other AN/TPY-2 forward-based radars are located in Turkey and the Middle East. This unit is the second Missile Defense Radar system to be deployed in Japan by American military forces.
See related video: US sends AN/TPY-2 radar to Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs3q6HwlH_o
See video: US Navy – Integrated Ballistic Missile Defense System Test Involving Aegis Destroyer & THAAD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTUZlvsvy50
See video research: Raytheon building 12th AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile def radar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l3ix30lEM8
Notes:
The Chinese are rumored to be seeking active countermeasures to the US Ballistic Missile Shield.
To penetrate an effective BMD system, the Chinese missile will most likely employ appropriate counter measures (decoy with IR and radar countermeasures, Manoeuvrable Re-entry Vehicle (MARV) and MIRV) which the US has to then counter at incredible cost.
See article: The Real Price of Ballistic Missile Defenses stand at $274 billion dollars and counting http://wmdjunction.com/120413_missile_defense_costs.htm
It is also well known that China has the technology to develop and deploy MIRVs and countermeasures to penetrate defenses. Something that by all indications they are working at very hard.
This in an effort to increase its overall deterrent capabilities to prevent and deter a possible nuclear strike from the US.
On August 20, 2014 China test-fired “DF-5A” intercontinental ballistic missiles, but also MIRV.
See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdjH_RtsBKM ).
The other measure the Chinese are undertaking is to counter US efforts would be to strengthen their undersea deterrence using Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM).
SLBM are much more difficult for missile defense systems to counter compared to land based missiles.
China has also recently completed next-generation nuclear submarine tests in South China Sea.
China hopes to strengthen its submarines capabilities it will have 60-70 submarines within the decade.
See video: China completes next-generation nuclear submarine tests in South China Sea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C6-FlG05d4