Japan will sign an agreement to buy up to 500 Tomahawk missiles from the United States in bulk this year. It plans to buy it through US foreign-funded military assistance (FMS). The US FMS is a method by which foreign countries enter into contracts with the US State Department, not manufacturers, when purchasing US-made weapons. It is mainly used for the purchase of weapons on a large scale, and the US State Department is also responsible for training including how to use the weapon. The purchase cost is expected to reach 211.3 billion yen (about 2.3 trillion won).
In a press conference on the 14th, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada announced a policy to sign a one-time deal for the Tomahawk missiles planned to be purchased this year. Previously, the Japanese government allocated 211.3 billion yen from this year’s budget for the purchase of Tomahawks. Defense Minister Hamada did not disclose the number of purchases and launches of Tomahawk missiles. The Sankei Shimbun reported on the same day, “The price of one Tomahawk is estimated to be between 300 million and 500 million yen, and if you calculate the cost of purchasing a missile without including other costs such as hangars from the total budget, it will. that about 500 missiles.” . Kyodo News reported that “up to 500 shots are estimated.”
The Tomahawk is a cruise missile with a range of 1250 km, and is the United States’ primary medium-range missile. The Sankei Shimbun reported that “the actual deployment will be made in 2026-2027,” and “if the necessary missile quantities are contracted immediately, the actual deployment time can be brought forward as soon as possible and the purchase price. “
