The Japan Defence
Ministry has decided to send F-15 fighters to guard Aegis destroyers to be
deployed in preparation for the scheduled launch of a North Korean missile,
government sources have said.
The ministry is expected to deploy the state-of-the-art Aegis ships to
the East China Sea and two other locations to monitor the launch.
The F-15s are necessary as Russian or Chinese intelligence-gathering
aircraft may come extremely close to the Maritime Self-Defence Force vessels,
the sources said Thursday.
The F-15s will be deployed under a provision prescribed in the
Self-Defence Forces Law's Article 95, the sources said. The provision
stipulates that the SDF can use weapons, aircraft and other equipment to defend
their planes, ships and other equipment.
This will be the first application of the provision.
The ministry will deploy three Aegis destroyers--two in the East China
Sea and one in the Sea of Japan--to prepare for the launch.
When an Aegis destroyer detects and tracks a missile, it has to concentrate
its radar systems on the missile. This will severely limit the crews' awareness
of the surrounding area and make the ship largely defenceless.
The ministry will deploy the F-15s from bases including the Naha Air
Base of the Air Self-Defence Force, according to the sources. Two F-15s per
destroyer will be continuously deployed to patrol air space around the ship,
they said.
When jets or intelligence-gathering aircraft of other nations approach
within about 36 kilometres of an Aegis ship, the SDF issues a warning to the
aircraft to prevent further approach via international radio or other means.
Defence analysts say the ministry is even studying the possibility of
allowing the F-15s to fire warning shots if foreign aircraft ignore warnings
and continue to approach the ships.
News Desk
The Yomiuri Shimbun
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