JDS Kongō (DDG-173)

JDS Kongō (DDG-173) is a Kongō class guided missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Kongō is the third Japanese naval vessel named for Mount Kongō.

She was laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Nagasaki on 8 May 1990, launched on 26 September 1991; and commissioned on 25 March 1993.

Ballistic missile defense


In December 2007, Japan conducted a successful test of the SM-3 block IA against a ballistic missile aboard Kongō. This was the first time a Japanese ship was selected to launch the interceptor missile during a test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. In previous tests they provided tracking and communications.