Russia Worries Its Pacific Fleet Could Be Attacked by Japan with Type 12 Missiles and MRC Typhoons If Deployed by the US

Russia Worries Its Pacific Fleet Could Be Attacked by Japan with Type 12 Missiles and MRC Typhoons If Deployed by the US

TIMEMOMENTS.COM- Japan is accused of taking steps to deploy missiles to deter China, but this also worries Russia.

The allegations against Japan emerged as the US Army expressed interest in operating a Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF), which would house the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) and Medium-Range Capability (MRC) missile systems, from Japan.

The March 4, 2025 edition of Newsweek reported that General Yasunori Morishita, Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, visited the US from February 21 to 28, 2025.

General Yasunori Morishita reportedly discussed security in the Indo-Pacific region and defense cooperation with General Randy George, Chief of Staff of the US Army.

"The Japanese general also visited the First Corps, which serves as the operational headquarters of the US Army for the Indo-Pacific region.

Two ground-based missile launchers were displayed during the visit, as shown in photos released on Saturday by the Japanese Army," the American media outlet reported.

Masashi Murano, a senior researcher at the Hudson Institute for Japan, noted that one of the missile launchers captured on camera during the visit was the MRC, also known as Typhon.

This launcher is capable of firing Standard Missile-6 missiles up to 290 miles and Tomahawk cruise missiles up to 1,000 miles.

Another launcher is the LRHW, also known as Dark Eagle, with a range of 1,725 miles.

This launcher is armed with two hypersonic missiles, capable of flying over 3,800 miles per hour and highly maneuverable, making them difficult for enemies to detect and intercept.

Both Typhon and Dark Eagle will play an important role in regional security if deployed in Japan, Murano said.

Both will complement Japan's Type 12 anti-ship missiles and upgraded Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVLP) missiles.

“Cruise missiles capable of attacking ships can threaten Chinese naval vessels,” Murano said.

Meanwhile, hypersonic missiles, he said, could threaten important command centers and communication nodes in China or valuable Chinese aircraft parked on runways or in shelters.

The Japan Times edition of February 6, 2025, reported that Tokyo has repeatedly denied media reports highlighting the possibility of deploying intermediate-range missiles, although supporters argue that such a move would help deter Beijing, particularly around Japan's southwestern islands near Taiwan, where China has increased its military activities.

“Japan plans to deploy a long-range version of the Type 12 missile system to the region at some point in fiscal year 2025, which begins in April, to support other units operating earlier versions of the system,” the Japanese media outlet wrote.

But Russia is not taking this at face value.

Topcor's July 30, 2025 edition calculated the number of missiles Russia would need to prepare if Japan were to attack it with the Type 12 and MRC Typhon missiles reportedly set to strengthen the Land of the Rising Sun.

"Japan will deploy Type 12 and MRC Typhon missiles with ranges of 1,000 and 2,000 km respectively in its territory starting in 2026, citing the need for protection from China.

However, analysis shows that these weapons are primarily designed to target the Pacific Fleet.

Based on this, Russia may consider launching a series of retaliatory strikes against Japan to mitigate these threats.

According to military analysts, this would require the use of an impressive stockpile of missiles," the Russian media outlet wrote in its article.

No joke, it's not just one or two missiles; Russia is predicted to need to prepare hundreds of munitions to attack Japan.

"It seems that 200-250 Kh-101 missiles may be needed to disable these facilities.

At the same time, 10-12 Kinzhal missiles could be used for each installation to destroy the Patriot air defense system, which would reduce the consumption of Kh-101 missiles," wrote Topcor.

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