Aegis system equipped vessels (ASEV) (original) (raw)

Aegis system equipped vessels (ASEV) or イージス・システム搭載艦 in Japanese is the designation for a proposed pair of cruiser-sized ballistic missile defense (BMD) warships to be operated by the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) as dedicated ship-based BMD platforms, serving as an alternative to Japan's now-cancelled land-based Aegis Ashore BMD system. When completed, the two warships will be the largest surface combatant ships in service with the JMSDF, and according to Popular Mechanics, they will "arguably [be] the largest deployable surface warships in the world."