TOKYO — October 6, 2026 — Japan has begun operational use of its first domestically developed hypersonic glide weapon, the Type 25 Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP), at Camp Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture.
The system, previously known as the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile for island defense, received the Type 25 designation and entered service on March 31, 2026. It was assigned to a JGSDF Field Artillery Training Unit at Camp Fuji, where personnel are conducting training and developing operational procedures.
Recent footage from Camp Fuji shows the Type 25's 8×8 wheeled transporter-erector-launcher moving into position, raising its two missile canisters vertically and then lowering them before withdrawing. The launcher had earlier appeared publicly during the Fuji Firepower Exercise on June 7, 2026, at the East Fuji Maneuver Area, where it was displayed in firing configuration without launching a missile.
Boost-Glide Weapon
The Type 25 uses a boost-glide configuration. A solid-fuel rocket booster carries the weapon to high altitude before the glide vehicle separates. The vehicle then travels toward its target at high speed while maneuvering along a non-ballistic trajectory.
Japan's Defense Ministry describes the system as a high-speed glide weapon intended to make interception more difficult because of its speed and maneuverability. The current Block 1 version is reported to reach more than Mach 5.
The initial Block 1 system has an officially described range of several hundred kilometers. Some Japanese media reports have cited a range of up to about 900 kilometers, but that figure has not been officially confirmed.
The weapon is primarily intended to engage ships and forces on remote islands from outside an adversary's weapons range. It can also be used against land targets, including invasion forces and related positions. The current version is not designed to reach deep into the Chinese mainland.
More Units Planned
Japan plans to establish additional Type 25 HVGP units at Camp Kamifurano in Hokkaido and Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, during fiscal year 2026, which ends in March 2027.
Longer-range versions are also under development. The planned Block 2 is expected to provide a range of roughly 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers or more, with deployment expected in the 2030s. Japan also plans a later improvement using waverider technology.
The Type 25 is part of Japan's wider effort to strengthen its stand-off defense capabilities. On the same day the HVGP entered service, the upgraded ground-launched Type 12 surface-to-ship missile was redesignated the Type 25 Surface-to-Ship Guided Missile and deployed at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the two deployments marked the first time domestically produced stand-off missiles had been delivered to Self-Defense Force units, citing the need to strengthen deterrence in Japan's increasingly severe security environment.
The Type 25 systems currently at Camp Fuji are being used mainly for training and doctrine development rather than immediate frontline combat readiness. Civic groups protested the initial deployment in March.
Japan's rollout of the Type 25 provides the JGSDF with a mobile, high-speed stand-off weapon for responding to threats against its remote islands, while further range improvements and additional deployments are planned in the coming years.
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