The Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) began construction of the Aegis-equipped Kongō class in FY1988.[5] In FY2002 and 2003, a modified version, Atago class, was also added for its fleet.[5]
However, even after the four Kongō-class and two Atago-class destroyers had been commissioned, it was still necessary to build two more Aegis-equipped destroyers to replace Hatakaze class, the best and last survivor of Tartar-equipped destroyers.[5] The construction of these two Aegis-equipped destroyers was included in the National Defense Program Guidelines for FY2014 and beyond.[5] The first ship, JS Maya, was built in the FY2015 budget.[3]
Design
While it shares the same design characteristics as the Atago class, the Maya class possesses a larger hull to install a hybrid-electric propulsion system.[3]
Maya-class destroyers are engineered with a COGLAG (Combined Gas turbine-eLectric And Gas turbine) propulsion system, a modification of the combined gas and gas propulsion system employing electric propulsion for low-speed cruising. The JMSDF had been testing a COGLAG propulsion system on JS Asuka. Then, the adoption of the system for surface combatants began with the Asahi class. While the Asahi class system had a low voltage distribution of 450 volts, the Maya class system is equipped with a more advanced system that can handle a high voltage distribution of 6,600 volts.[3]
The JMSDF already uses an integrated electric propulsion system for auxiliary vessels and is expected to expand to surface combatant ships in the future in light of its future weapon accommodation.[3]
Equipment
The Maya class features the newer Aegis Weapon System (AWS) Baseline 9C (referred to as J7 in Japan), compared with the Atago class using the Baseline 7 system (now being updated to Baseline 9C with modernization).[3][6] With this system, these destroyers are equipped with the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) system. This will allow the ship to share surveillance or targeting information with other CEC-equipped assets, such as ships from the American or Australian Navy or from American or Japanese E-2 Hawkeyes.[7] In addition to the AWS, they are also equipped with an Aegis BMD 5.1 system; they are the first JMSDF Aegis vessels to be capable of ballistic missile defense (BMD) from the time of its commissioning.[3][4]
In addition to the existing SM-2MR Block IIIBsurface-to-air missiles, the SM-6 will also be installed in the future.[4][8] The SM-6 missiles can be networked to the CEC system and thus allow it to receive targeting information from other CEC-equipped sources. While the primary role of the SM-6 is to intercept enemy aircraft and cruise missiles, the SM-6 is also capable of intercepting ballistic missiles in their terminal phase and can double as an anti-ship missile.[3]
On 16 November 2022, the guided-missile destroyer Maya fired an SM-3 Block IIA missile, successfully intercepting the target outside the atmosphere in the first launch of the missile from a Japanese warship. On 18 November 2022, the Haguro likewise fired an SM-3 Block IB missile with a successful hit outside the atmosphere. Both test firings were conducted at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai Island, Hawaii, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Missile Defense Agency. This was the first time the two ships conducted SM-3 firings at the same time, and the tests validated the ballistic missile defense capabilities of Japan’s newest Maya-class destroyers.[10]
