Japan Explores Missile, Drone Drills in India — SkimNews
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- Ground Self-Defense Force confirmed the deployment on October 27; NHK reported that Defense Ministry officials spent about a week in mid-October inspecting Indian test facilities and firing ranges.
- Arai said no missile system has been selected and no decision has been made to conduct an exercise; neither the location nor the timing of any prospective activity has been announced.
- Type 25 was deployed to Camp Kengun in Kumamoto Prefecture in March 2026, with a range believed to be about 1,000 kilometers compared with roughly 200 kilometers for the Type 12.
- Type 25 was demonstrated to reporters on October 25 during Keen Sword 27, which ran October 19-29: troops showed mobile-launcher deployment and firing preparations in a training area spanning Nagasaki and Saga prefectures, but did not launch a missile.
- Japan has previously conducted surface-to-ship missile firing exercises in the United States and Australia and, during the April-May 2026 Balikatan exercise, conducted its first such training in the Philippines using the Type 88.
- Ground Self-Defense Force is also examining small attack drone training, with open questions over radio frequencies, training content, suitable locations, operating conditions, safety management, and whether overseas training would precede or accompany domestic exercises.
- India is the location under discussion for possible bilateral arrangements rather than an announced Quad military exercise; Japan and India already conduct bilateral exercises and cooperate with the United States and Australia through the Quad.
Why it matters: Japan’s Type 25 has an estimated 1,000-kilometer range, versus 200 kilometers for the Type 12, while full-range live fire requires airspace, maritime-area and safety coordination. For the GSDF, Indian ranges are an overseas alternative under consideration, and the bilateral format would add a practical layer to Japan-India defense exchanges rather than an announced Quad exercise.
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