🇯🇵 Japan is drastically speeding up the buildup of drone defenses

The Japanese Ministry of Defense has decided to urgently develop a cost-effective means against Shahed-type attack drones, so that it does not have to use expensive air-defense missiles against them. To this end, the procurement agency ATLA has launched a special accelerated program: 38 companies submitted proposals. After selection and testing, it was the Japanese Terra B1 by Terra Drone that made it into the final as the only one. In late August it completed, as the only demonstration, flight tests, after which the state signed a contract for its series production.

The Terra B1 is an interceptor drone that launches from a ground station to destroy long-range attack drones. In its development, Terra Drone used experience from the conflict in Ukraine as well as technologies from companies working there with interceptor drones. The entire process, from the start of the program to contract signing, took about three months—for Japanese military procurement, that is a unprecedentedly fast process. The first units are expected to be handed over to the Maritime Self-Defense Forces as early as September.

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