JS Kongō

JS Kongō (DDG-173) is a 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. Kongō was the first ship outside of the United States to feature the Aegis integrated weapon system.

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.