The U.S. Department of Defense said it has signed the Glide Phase Interceptor Cooperative Development Project Arrangement with the Japanese Ministry of Defense to provide defense capability against hypersonic missiles while at their glide flight. Under the agreement, Japan will spearhead the GPI project’s rocket motors and propulsion parts development for the interceptor.
DOD said the agreement, covered by the U.S.-Japan Memorandum of Understanding for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Projects, will enhance regional defensive capability and the long-standing missile defense cooperation between the two countries.
An indication of the GPI cooperation surfaced during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s summit talks with President Joe Biden in August 2023. Earlier, Missile Defense Agency Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill also suggested the GPI partnership with Japan, noting a similar collaboration with the United States in the SM-3 block IIA program’s propulsion stacks.
U.S. work on the counter-hypersonic missile is ongoing under a $41 million task order that the MDA awarded Raytheon Missiles & Defense in June 2022 to finalize GPI systems requirements and support accelerated development schedules.