F-15s to be sent to guard Aegis ships

F-15s to be sent to guard Aegis ships

The Defense Ministry has decided to send F-15 fighters to guard Aegis destroyers to be deployed in preparation for the scheduled launch of a North Korean missile, government sources have said.

The ministry is expected to deploy the state-of-the-art Aegis ships to the East China Sea and two other locations to monitor the launch.

The F-15s are necessary as Russian or Chinese intelligence-gathering aircraft may come extremely close to the Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels, the sources said Thursday.

The F-15s will be deployed under a provision prescribed in the Self-Defense Forces Law's Article 95, the sources said. The provision stipulates that the SDF can use weapons, aircraft and other equipment to defend their planes, ships and other equipment.

This will be the first application of the provision.

The ministry will deploy three Aegis destroyers--two in the East China Sea and one in the Sea of Japan--to prepare for the launch.

When an Aegis destroyer detects and tracks a missile, it has to concentrate its radar systems on the missile. This will severely limit the crews' awareness of the surrounding area and make the ship largely defenseless.

The ministry will deploy the F-15s from bases including the Naha Air Base of the Air Self-Defense Force, according to the sources. Two F-15s per destroyer will be continuously deployed to patrol air space around the ship, they said.

When jets or intelligence-gathering aircraft of other nations approach within about 36 kilometers of an Aegis ship, the SDF issues a warning to the aircraft to prevent further approach via international radio or other means.

Defense analysts say the ministry is even studying the possibility of allowing the F-15s to fire warning shots if foreign aircraft ignore warnings and continue to approach the ships.

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