Japanese troops test-fire air defense missiles at New Mexico range

Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force has been carrying out live-fire air defense training since July 2026 at ranges in northern Japan and in the United States, where its medium-range missile units are firing alongside Japan Air Self-Defense Force Patriot batteries at McGregor Range in New Mexico.

The Ground Self-Defense Force, Japan’s army, said on X that units at home are firing at the Shizunai range in Hokkaido, the Rokkasho range in Aomori Prefecture and other sites. The training covers the force’s layered short-range air defense weapons: the Type 81 short-range surface-to-air missile, the Type 93 close-range surface-to-air missile and the Type 87 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.

Those systems cover the lowest and closest layers of Japan’s ground-based air defense.

The Type 93 mounts short-range missiles on a light utility vehicle, while the tracked Type 87 carries twin 35 mm cannons to engage aircraft, helicopters and other low-flying targets at close range.

In New Mexico, the Ground Self-Defense Force is firing the Type 03 medium-range surface-to-air missile, known in Japan as Chu-SAM, in coordination with Air Self-Defense Force Patriot units. Built by Mitsubishi Electric, the Type 03 replaced the U.S.-designed HAWK missiles Japan had used since 1965 and has a range of about 50 km (31 miles), with the system designed to hit aircraft, air-to-surface missiles and cruise missiles directly.

The Type 03 has a long history at the New Mexico range. Japanese forces fired it in a live training exercise for the first time at McGregor Range in late 2006, after six earlier test launches at nearby White Sands Missile Range.

McGregor Range, part of the Fort Bliss training complex, offers the open airspace and distances needed for live missile firings that are difficult to arrange in Japan. The Air Self-Defense Force has held annual Patriot live-fire training there since 1963, and recent iterations have included combined live firing with Ground Self-Defense Force anti-aircraft units, bilateral firing with U.S. Army Patriot units and, in 2025, counter-drone training.

Pairing the two services lets Japan’s army and air force practice defending against air threats as a single network, with the medium-range Type 03 and the longer-range Patriot covering different layers of the airspace.

The Ground Self-Defense Force said it will continue firing training at home and abroad to further strengthen its air defense capabilities.