The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), the research, development and procurement arm of the Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) took the opportunity at the DSEI Japan 2025 exhibition to announce a new uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) development with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
According to ATLA officials, the proposed USV development is aimed at supporting the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s (JMSDF) principal surface warfare ships, such as its guided-missile destroyers, during combat and other high-end operations.
Officials also indicated that the length of the USV could be up to 50 m and feature an integrated sensor package comprising an electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) camera and a radar to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data. For combat operations, the USV would be equipped with lethal payloads such as surface-to-surface missiles and torpedoes.
“The USV project is currently in detailed design and we expect a prototype to undergo at sea testing by the end of 2027,” said an ATLA official.
MHI has some experience in USV development, with its Maritime Unmanned Systems Development Department of the Naval Ship & Maritime Systems Division showcasing the multirole Whale USV at the previous iteration of DSEI Japan.
MHI officials earlier told AMR that the Whale USV has also been used as a testbed for several types of unmanned systems, including unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as expendable mine disposal (EMD) devices.
The sea vehicle, which was displayed with a rotary-wing UAV, is managed by a proprietary command and control (C2) system called CoasTitan. According to MHI, CoasTitan is capable of managing simultaneous multiple UAVs, USVs, and UUVs for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. Data transmission, collection, and exploitation is also performed autonomously to aid decision makers.
The JMSDF has also earlier articulated a plan to procure up to 17 USVs for mine-countermeasures (MCM) operations. The MCM USVs will be integrated to the service’s new Mogami-class frigates to provide an organic, standoff MCM capability. The USVs will be equipped with indigenously developed EMD devices to neutralise mines, and will also be able to function as a ‘mothership’ to deploy and command UUVs.
The UUV type is expected to be MHI’s own OZZ-5 UUV, which will serve as the search and identification component of the MCM system. The UUV measures 4 m long and 0.5 m wide with a weight of 900 kg and is based on a prototype developed by the Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA). The OZZ-5 is equipped with a dual-imaging sonar suite that enables it to discern buried objects at low frequencies while possessing the ability to perform high-resolution scans of exposed objects on the seabed.
Development of the yet-unnamed JMSDF MCM USV has been undertaken since 2017 under its Outrange Mine Countermeasure Operation programme.
by Jr Ng
