Photo/Illutration This illustration shows how a high-power microwave weapon functions. (Provided by the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency)

Tokyo and Washington will jointly develop a high-power microwave weapon to disable enemy drones.

On July 16, the governments signed off on joint trials of high-energy microwaves against approaching drones and other ordnance.

Tests will take place in North America. The data will then be shared by the United States and Japan, in a collaboration that is scheduled to continue through fiscal 2030, according to sources from the Defense Ministry.

The weapon would use directed microwaves to interrupt the control of drones in flight, potentially burning out their electronic circuits.

The Defense Ministry expects the weaponry to be a “game changer” in future wars, because removing the need for bullets reduces financial and resupply costs.

The Japanese government defined microwave technology as a priority in its Defense Buildup Program, a national security document released in 2022. The program called for research on the “technologies to intercept drones and other objects by radiating them with high-power microwaves.”

A total of 2.6 billion yen ($16.5 million) is earmarked in the budget for this fiscal year for research.

Microwave weapons are not new. Both Tokyo and Washington have previously tried to develop them, but they did the work separately.

Combining each other’s technical expertise may speed up possible deployment. Another advantage is the use of U.S. test sites, which do not exist on the same scale in Japan.

Meanwhile, Tokyo and Washington are jointly developing an unmanned aircraft to work alongside the next-generation fighter that Japan is developing with British and Italian cooperation. The fighter is expected to replace the Air Self-Defense Force’s F-2 jet.

A third possible collaboration between Japan and the United States is a specialized interceptor for hypersonic missiles.

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