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Type 03 Chū-SAM - JGSDF’s mini Patriot: Part 1
Hi and welcome to my 99th suggestion, which is about the Japanese Type 03 SAM system, hope you like it. 
First of all:
- Feel free to share more Information and / or correct me if something is wrong
- Discuss respectfully, any aggressive kind or verbal abuse will be reported, the Forum rules also apply here
Basic Background
While Western countries such as the US, Germany, and Italy continued to develop their surface-to-air missile systems—such as the Hawk system—it became increasingly apparent that their performance improvements were reaching technical limits. These countries therefore jointly launched the MEADS (Medium Extended Air Defense System) development project. Japan was invited to participate in this program, but declined due to its arms export guidelines at the time, the “Three Principles on Arms Exports.”
Instead, Japan decided to develop its own medium-range surface-to-air missile system to fill the gap between the Air Self-Defense Force’s Patriot system (long-range) and the Ground Self-Defense Force’s (JGDSF) short-range Type 81 Tan-SAM (Kai) system.
Planning for a Hawk successor began as early as 1983 in the Japanese Ministry of Defense. After the decision to pursue a national solution was made, development began in 1995. A year later, the concrete development phase began. In the 2003 fiscal year, the system was standardized and introduced as the “Type 03 Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile Chū-SAM", also known as SAM-4.
It is primarily deployed in anti-aircraft battalions of the regional commands of the Ground Self-Defense Force. An air defense group comprises four batteries – a total of 16 batteries were equipped with the Type 03. The system costs per air defense group are around 47 billion Yen, which is significantly lower than the procurement costs of a comparable Patriot PAC-2 system, which costs around 85 billion Yen.
The remaining units are scheduled to be retrofitted with the improved Type 03 Kai version, which offers a longer range, ballistic and improved target tracking capabilities - Suggestion linked below.
The Type 03 Chū-SAM Overall
A key feature of the system is the modern, actively electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which serves as the fire control system. It enables the simultaneous detection and tracking of multiple targets with high accuracy and offers robust resistance to electronic countermeasures (ECCM). The system is fully mobile and highly integrated: both the multi-purpose radar vehicle (MRF) and the launcher vehicle (LAU) are based on the same 8x8 wheeled platform, which ensures logistical advantages and high off-road capability.
The system’s guided missile has a caliber of 326 mm, a length of 4994 mm, and weighs around 583 kg. The missile is equipped with aerodynamic control surfaces with a maximum rudder deflection of 25 degrees. It is controlled by an internal guidance system with a battery life of around 161.5 seconds, while the seeker head battery is designed for less than 30 seconds. The missile has a fuse with a delay of 5 ± 1.1 seconds, a booster with a burn time of 15.1 ± 2 seconds and a range of around 60km.
The launcher vehicle weights about 23 tons and has a length of approx 11 meters.
Follow up Suggestion
Thanks for your time, hope you liked it 
[Will add more if there are some (more) important / declassified things]
[PM or comment if a Link or Picture isn´t working]
Sources:
Links
Type 03 surface-to-air missile - NamuWiki
Type 03 – Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance
Type 03 Chu-SAM | Weaponsystems.net
Other:
Type 03 Specifications - JMoD
