A Lockheed Martin Corp. executive said Tuesday its SPY-7 radar was "fully capable" of being installed on Japan's new naval vessels, and expressed confidence that there was no alternative, despite calls for a review of the current plan after the country scrapped a land-based Aegis missile defense system earlier this year.
"We are 100% confident," said Tom Rowden, vice president responsible for the U.S. company's overseas strategy and business development, in an online interview. Rowden stressed that the company has been providing radar systems to Japan for over 30 years.
His remarks came after some lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party called for a review of the plan, as the Defense Ministry is considering building two Aegis-equipped ships and examining three sea-based options in place of the previously planned land-based system, which was conceived with the interception of missiles from North Korea in mind.