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Japan Reveals New Anti-Ship Missile Using Rolling Terminal Maneuvers to Defeat Naval Close-In Defenses.
Japan has released test footage of a new coastal anti-ship missile prototype performing aggressive rolling maneuvers in its terminal phase. The concept signals a shift toward defeating modern naval close-in defenses as Tokyo strengthens sea denial around its southwestern islands.
On 20 January 2026, the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) released official test footage showing a new Japanese coastal anti-ship missile prototype executing pronounced terminal evasive maneuvers over the sea. Published under the authority of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the video offers a rare public view of a capability that appears to represent a qualitative shift in Japan’s approach to maritime strike and coastal sea denial. The disclosure comes as Tokyo accelerates efforts to strengthen stand-off deterrence and complicate adversary naval operations around the Nansei island chain and key maritime approaches to the Japanese archipelago.
Japan has revealed test footage of a new coastal anti-ship missile that uses rolling terminal maneuvers to evade shipboard defenses, signaling a sharper focus on sea denial and stand-off deterrence around its southwestern islands (Picture Source: ATLA)
The most notable sequence in the footage shows the missile performing a sustained rolling or spiral motion during the terminal phase of flight, commonly described as a barrel roll. Executed at very low altitude over the sea, this maneuver departs from the more conventional straight-line sea-skimming profiles traditionally associated with Japanese anti-ship missiles. Its purpose is to significantly complicate interception during the final seconds of engagement, when reaction times are shortest and defensive margins are most constrained.
The video documents a land-based launch followed by a low-altitude over-water cruise before the missile transitions into the rolling terminal profile. From an operational standpoint, this behavior directly targets the innermost layer of a surface combatant’s defensive architecture. A continuously rolling missile rapidly alters its apparent aspect angle, radar return characteristics, and line-of-sight rates, degrading the stability of tracking and fire-control solutions. Gun-based close-in weapon systems and electro-optical directors, which rely on highly predictable target geometry to achieve rapid convergence, are particularly stressed by such motion, as fire-control algorithms must constantly recalculate aim points under severe time pressure.
Open Japanese reporting commonly refers to the system shown as the “New SSM” or island defense missile, linking it to Japan’s broader effort to expand and modernize the Type 12 anti-ship missile family. The program reflects a doctrinal shift that places survivability against layered naval defenses on equal footing with extended range. Within Japan’s distributed coastal defense concept, missiles deployed across multiple islands are intended to hold surface combatants at risk while relying on networked sensors, offboard targeting, and external cueing. In this framework, defeating the final defensive layer becomes a decisive requirement rather than a secondary consideration.
Design features visible in the footage and associated imagery suggest a compact cruise-missile airframe optimized for low-altitude flight. Pop-out wings and a configuration with twin vertical stabilizers are consistent with a need to balance aerodynamic efficiency, maneuverability, and internal volume. Intake shaping and overall geometry point toward reduced observability rather than extreme speed, reinforcing the emphasis on survivability through profile management and terminal behavior rather than supersonic or hypersonic sprinting.
Available technical descriptions indicate a subsonic propulsion concept optimized for endurance and range. Japanese sources associate the missile with a compact turbofan identified as the XKJ301-1, derived from Kawasaki’s KJ300 engine line. This propulsion choice aligns with long-range fuel efficiency and supports a relatively compact airframe suitable for land-based launchers and potential future multi-domain deployment. Secondary reporting also suggests a modular internal architecture, enabling the missile to evolve across variants and mission sets rather than remain a single-purpose weapon.
Guidance and targeting architecture are believed to combine inertial navigation and satellite guidance for the midcourse phase with a multimode seeker for terminal engagement. Japanese assessments point to the use of radio-frequency and imaging infrared sensors, allowing the missile to operate in complex maritime environments and maintain target discrimination in the presence of countermeasures. Such an architecture is consistent with the missile’s demonstrated ability to maintain guidance stability during aggressive terminal maneuvering, a prerequisite for the operational value of the rolling flight profile.
The tactical implication of the demonstrated behavior is a higher probability of penetrating the innermost defensive layer of modern surface combatants. When combined with sea-skimming flight, route shaping, and precise timing, a rolling terminal profile compresses defensive decision cycles and degrades the effectiveness of automated engagement logic. Rather than relying on a brief terminal speed increase, the missile seeks to deny defenders the steady target presentation required for reliable close-in interception.
At the strategic level, the test underscores Japan’s intent to impose greater uncertainty on adversary naval planners operating in the Western Pacific. A land-based anti-ship missile that couples extended reach with a more demanding terminal intercept problem raises the cost of operating close to the Japanese archipelago and surrounding chokepoints. It reduces confidence in close-in defenses as a guaranteed last line of protection and strengthens deterrence by complicating assumptions about freedom of maneuver in contested littoral and near-sea environments.
By releasing this footage, ATLA signals that future Japanese anti-ship weapons will prioritize terminal agility, survivability, and integration into networked targeting architectures alongside range expansion. The decisive question will be how this capability performs as testing progresses into more operationally representative conditions, including electronic attack, cluttered littoral environments, and coordinated defensive networks. In such scenarios, terminal maneuverability is no longer a marginal enhancement but a defining factor in the credibility of modern maritime strike and coastal sea-denial operations.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.