- The United States plans to upgrade four Aegis warships deployed in Japan and equip them with the Standard Missile-3 interceptor system in order to boost their capability in a joint antiballistic missile defense system with Japan, according to local media on Monday.

The four Aegis ships to be remodeled are among the eight currently without SM-3 at Yokosuka, a U.S. Navy base in Kanagawa Prefecture south of Tokyo, Kyodo News said, adding that the Japanese government has been notified of the plan.

The U.S. military deployed the SM-3-equipped cruiser Shiloh at the Yokosuka base in August, and the new plan is to bring the total number of SM-3-equipped warships in Japan to five.

Analysts said the plan is part of the reaction of the United States to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's test-firing of missiles in July and nuclear test in October.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is also planing to install the SM-3 system on its destroyer Kongou by the end of 2007 and on three other Aegis ships by the end of fiscal 2010, Kyodo quoted sources as saying.

Launching SM-3 missiles is the first choice in the two-stage interception method of the joint antiballistic missile defenses drawn up by Japan and the United States, followed by the land-to- air missiles of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor system.

Source: Xinhua