Japan begins F-2 flight testing of air-launched upgraded Type 12 anti-ship missile

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has begun flight testing the air-launched variant of its upgraded Type 12 anti-ship missile on an F-2 fighter. According to Naval News and Defense Express, an F-2 was observed for the first time carrying the new anti-ship missile at Gifu Air Base in central Japan.

According to open-source data, the air-launched variant is intended to provide a stand-off engagement capability from around 1,000 km — an approach designed to keep the launch aircraft outside the reach of enemy air defences.

Missile characteristics

The upgraded Type 12 is designed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The missile is expected to feature a low-observable airframe to complicate radar detection, and a satellite-based Up-to-Date Command (UTDC) capability that allows updated instructions — including a change of target — to be transmitted after launch.

Open-source accounts of the programme indicate the range is to be raised progressively from the original Type 12’s roughly 200 km to 900 km, with a longer-term goal of 1,200 km. These figures are subject to official verification and should be treated with caution.

One family, three variants

The upgraded Type 12 is being developed in land, sea and air-launched variants. Firing trials of the land-based variant were completed earlier; beginning flight tests of the air variant is seen as a significant step toward turning the family into a multi-platform weapon system.

This approach aims to yield cost and sustainment advantages by building common logistics and production lines from a single missile family. Compared with Western anti-ship and long-range strike missiles in the same class, the multi-platform design and extended range stand out as differentiators.

Regional and strategic context

Japan has in recent years increased investment in long-range strike systems it describes as a “counterstrike capability.” An air-launched long-range anti-ship missile is intended to strengthen Japan’s sea-denial and deterrence posture.

The development comes amid intensifying competition over long-range precision-strike capabilities in the Indo-Pacific — a trend that opens a new axis of competition for firms developing missiles and platforms in the same class.

Sources

1. Naval News – “Japan Tests New Air-Launched Upgraded Type 12 Anti-Ship Missile” – 31 July 2026.
2. Defense Express (Defence-UA) – “Japan’s Type 12 SSM-2 Enters Flight Testing on F-2 Fighter” – July 2026.
3. Defence Security Asia – July 2026.

Images depict the related system and platform, reused from Wikimedia Commons under suitable licences (CC BY / public domain); they do not show the air-launched variant test itself.