Japan has begun captive-carry flight tests of its air-launched Type 25 anti-ship missile, with a Mitsubishi F-2B prototype photographed at Gifu Air Base on 2026-07-30 carrying two inert missile test articles under its inner wing stations. The flight marks the first publicly observed captive-carry test of the weapon and an early step in flight qualification for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Air Development and Test Wing.
The aircraft was identified in reporting with two different serial numbers, 68-8101 and 63-8101, a discrepancy that remains unresolved in the available coverage. The test phase is intended to evaluate aerodynamic behaviour and structural loads before separation trials and live firings, rather than to confirm missile separation or terminal performance.
The missile appears to be the air-launched derivative of Japan’s upgraded Type 12 / Type 25 anti-ship missile family, although its official air-launched designation has not yet been announced. The campaign is being carried out alongside ASM-3 Kai development, which is also intended as a replacement for the ASM-2 on operational F-2s.
The new test activity is part of Japan’s effort to field next-generation indigenous stand-off weapons and expand its long-range anti-ship strike capability for the F-2 fleet. The publicly observed captive-carry flight represents movement from ground development to aircraft-level qualification, but it does not yet show separation performance, seeker function or terminal effectiveness.