U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will reportedly confirm their cooperation in the development of Japan's low-orbit satellite network at a bilateral summit on Wednesday.
Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun daily said on Monday that the two leaders will discuss cooperation on developing a satellite network to detect and track hypersonic glide weapons.
The move is aimed at bolstering their missile defense capabilities against China and North Korea, which have developed hypersonic glide vehicles(HGVs). Last Wednesday, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile with a hypersonic warhead that is difficult to intercept due to its irregular flight trajectory.
It is difficult to detect and intercept hypersonic glide vehicles, which fly at low altitudes and move at speeds faster than Mach 5.
To track the gliders, the U.S. is seeking to establish a satellite constellation that processes data from many small satellites to ensure high accuracy and early detection.