Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) plans to commission Maya-class destroyer guided missile destroyer in March 2020. The Maya-class of guided missile destroyers is Japan’s latest AEGIS-equipped guided missile destroyers set. Japanese shipbuilder Japan Marine United (JMU) Corporation formally began the construction of two new Atago ships of the improved 27DD subclass in 2015. Maya shares her name with the World War II era Japanese Takao-class heavy cruiser Maya, while Haguro shares her name with Myoko-class heavy cruiser Haguro.
The Maya-class hull is enlarged for an empty displacement of 8,200 tons to allow for growth space for advanced weapon systems. The CODLAG propulsion system received several improvements to the ships’ space, power management and distribution. New weapons are to be incorporated such as anti-ship missiles, and in-development indigenous point-defense lasers and electromagnetic railgun systems. Other improvements include the AN/SPQ-9B surface search radar, a multi-static sonar system, and an enhanced Aegis combat system with better Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC).
The ships are equipped with the SM-3 Block IIA and SM-6 missiles. The SM-3 Block IIA is the latest variant of the SM-3 missiles and is joint developed between the U.S. and Japan. The SM-6 missiles can be networked to the CEC system and thus allow it to receive targeting information from other CEC equipped sources. While the primary role of the SM-6 is to intercept enemy aircraft and cruise missiles, the SM-6 is also capable of intercepting medium-range ballistic missile and can double as an anti-ship missile.
