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Japan's F-2B Fighter Tests New 1,000‑km Air‑Launched Type 25 Missile
On 30 July 2026 a Japan Air Self‑Defense Force Mitsubishi F‑2B prototype conducted a captive‑carry flight test at Gifu Air Base, carrying two inert test articles of a previously unseen long‑range air‑launched missile. The missile is the air‑launched variant of Japan’s upgraded Type 12 surface‑to‑ship missile, now redesignated as the Type 25 (sometimes referred to as ASM‑4).
The missile is reported to have a range of about 1,000 km (≈620 mi), roughly five times the reach of the earlier Type 12, and features a low‑observable airframe with deployable wings and reduced radar cross‑section. The test marks the first publicly observed airborne integration of Japan’s longest‑range indigenous strike weapon and signals progress toward operational deployment, which the Ministry of Defense plans to begin in 2027 on Maritime Self‑Defense Force ships and Air Self‑Defense Force aircraft.
Entities
Gifu Air Base · Japan Air Self‑Defense Force · Ministry of Defense (Japan) · Mitsubishi F‑2B fighter · Type 25 air‑launched surface‑to‑ship missile
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The missile features a low‑observable airframe with deployable wings and reduced radar cross‑section to enhance survivability against modern air defenses. avioblog.it · technews.tw
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Type 25 air‑launched missile has an estimated range of about 1,000 km (≈620 mi). avioblog.it · technews.tw · www.sofx.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The ground‑based variant of the Type 25 completed development testing in December 2025 after overseas live‑fire trials. www.sofx.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] On 30 July 2026 a Japan Air Self‑Defense Force F‑2B fighter was observed at Gifu Air Base carrying two previously unseen missile test articles. avioblog.it · technews.tw · www.sofx.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The missile is the air‑launched derivative of Japan’s upgraded Type 12, redesignated as the Type 25 surface‑to‑ship missile. avioblog.it · technews.tw · www.sofx.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Japan plans to deploy the Type 25 on Maritime Self‑Defense Force ships and Air Self‑Defense Force aircraft starting in 2027. technews.tw
- [● 3 SOURCES] The flight test was the first publicly observed captive‑carry flight of the air‑launched Type 25 missile. avioblog.it · technews.tw · www.sofx.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Japan’s Ministry of Defense formally redesignated the upgraded missile as Type 25 in March 2026. avioblog.it · technews.tw · www.sofx.com