Japan Space-Time Strange Chronicles

Postwar Issues and At the West Sea

This is the first chapter of this month. Finally, the Reiwa era Kamen Rider Zero-One has started.

I will miss Seiji Takaiwa-san, but I will look forward to the new people... and enjoy the show.

- Kazuhiro Kasami

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September 1, 2024

Japan, Tokyo, Prime Minister's Office

During the recent Japanese-Francesca-Spernino-Italician War, a certain problem has arisen. Of the 15 AH-1S Cobra helicopters deployed to the war, as many as 10 had various malfunctions. Although each of the problems, such as deteriorating rotor parts and stub wing pylons, could be immediately addressed, the problems with the old helicopters have now become apparent.

At the Prime Minister's Office, a senior official from the Ministry of Defense read a report to the Prime Minister.

"...From that explanation, the repairs themselves can be carried out immediately. However, it must be said that there is still an impossibility to continue operating the Cobras any longer."

The Prime Minister sighed. The bill for putting off various issues, including policy and defense, was now erupting like an accumulated pus. In fact, some of the Self-Defense Forces' weapons were at a fairly outdated level in the old world (although they still had more than sufficient capability in Asia under limited conditions, such as mainland defense), but budgetary problems and public sentiment have prevented them from being fully updated with the latest weaponry until now.

In Japan, not only the AH-1S, but also the 203 mm self-propelled howitzer that appeared in the previous war, the Type 74 tank, and many other items that could be called antiques by today's standards of the latest weapons are in operation. When some time had passed since the transference, the decision was made to proceed with the renewal of weapons due to the acquisition of the continent and the significant upturn in the economy, but there were still too many different items that needed to be updated, and the ground attack helicopter had only recently been successfully flown and weapons tested in a domestically produced prototype.

Even so, the speed of the project is still unimaginable compared to the speed of Japan's past. It had finally become a presence that could be revealed in the press.

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Yanma Ground Attack Helicopter

Soon after the transference, the first purely domestic anti-tank helicopter was decided to be manufactured due to the aging of Japan's main anti-tank helicopter, the AH-1S Cobra, and the fact that the number of AH-64D Apache Longbows is very small and procurement of more than 12 is impossible.

It is similar in appearance to the AH-64D. However, all weapons and ground observation radar were replaced with domestically produced ones. In particular, the first domestically produced helicopter-mounted ground observation radar was called the "Dragonfly Radar" or "Dragonfly Eye," meaning that it could see 360 degrees like the eye of a dragonfly.

Based on the Hellfire anti-tank missile developed by the United States in the past, the air-to-surface missile ASGM-1 (Air Search Ground Missile-1), a domestically produced ASM with a range of 15 km, has been successfully developed. The machine gun and Hydra rocket launchers are the same as those used in the Apache Longbow, and are produced under license.

The plan is to gradually replace the AH-1S Cobras, so eventually more than 300 units will be produced, including those to be operated on the new continent. As a side note, this anti-tank missile, like the Hellfire, will also be manufactured for anti-ship use and will be used in the Maritime Self-Defense Force's patrol helicopters.