Japan's Ministry of Defense has decided to begin developing unmanned transport vessels for transporting troops, ammunition, and other cargo in emergency situations. Funding for this work will be allocated in the 2027 fiscal year budget, APA reports citing Yomiuri newspaper.
According to her, the project primarily involves establishing fast and relatively safe unmanned cargo delivery to remote Japanese islands near Taiwan, an area Tokyo views as a potential conflict zone. The automated transport vessels will be equipped with a camera and radar system and linked to satellite navigation. It was previously reported that Japan's Michibiki satellite positioning system, among other things, will be used for military purposes. Its constellation of satellites is steadily expanding.
The introduction of unmanned transport vessels will also help alleviate, to some extent, the acute shortage of personnel in the Japanese Armed Forces, which is particularly acute in the navy. There are also concerns that, if the situation escalates, it will be difficult to lease civilian vessels to transport cargo and troops to conflict zones.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense plans to request a record budget of 8.9 trillion yen ($56.7 billion at current exchange rates) for fiscal year 2027. Taking into account associated costs, Japan's defense spending will likely exceed 10.6 trillion yen ($67.5 billion).
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