Japanese new missile project?

I have no idea what this small a/c under F-15's wing is. Invite your information to share.

I have too never seen a missile like this before.

It could be a UCAV. Like a small fighter plane. I could also be a new cruise missile with advanced evasion capabilities. Whatever it is, it looks pretty cool, and pretty expensive.

It looks to be a UCAV, I will have to do some further investigating on my part to see if I can find any additional information. Not a missile, but definately looks to be a UCAV.

Missile project, a bit misleading no?

That thing looks pretty rad to me. Probably a UCAV as others mentioned. Be a shame to build something that nice to just blow it up.

If you consider that missiles are typically smaller and have the simple 4 or 8 control surfaces for guidance and that larger cruise missiles also seem to have a fairly established design principals, this object doesn't appear to add any benefits to either of these. No point in making missiles bulkier and less maneuverable.

On second thought, it could be a cruise missile, I guess. Shortened and with a redone wing layout for better compatability mounting to fighters.

I am more inclined to think it is a UCAV rapid deployment system going through the paces. Why loiter when you can launch? Not loitering in the right place or is the area out of range? Don't have a UCAV base nearby? Sporty UCAV more of a guzzler than a sipper? No problem...we'll just strap on UCAV 42967 abd assign your pin to the control module and it'll be on-site in 15 minutes.
The rectangle under the noce looks like a landing gear panel to me and the little wing layout just look more like a fighter than a missile to me.

It's gonna be crazy when fighter pilots are only there to control the UCAVs launched from under their wings.
Pretty soon there won't be a need for "fighter pilots"...they'll just take a seat in the AWACS next to the radar op and control bomber-launched UCAVs.
It'll be like Ender's Game where you'll have guys that are responsible for various compartmentalized facets of the battle. Perhaps those fighting the battle will believe it is a training excercize as well. No more PTSD and endless plausable deniability. You could blame civilian casualties on hackers...

It's built by TRDI. It's an Unmanned Aircraft Research System, or UAV technology demonstrator. It's scheduled to fly sometime in 2009. Eventually it will be used as a target drone, and could lead to a high speed surveillance or decoy UAV. Interestingly it has a turret system on it instead of a nose mounted optics system, so it appears that it may be able to be used for weapons targetting some time in the future.

At a TRDI display the author was able to attend in 2006, a TRDI brochure contained a small illustration of what looked like a jet powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that could also lead to an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV). At the time TRDI officials were reluctant to speak about the program other than to confirm the picture represented a program. But TRDI decided to release far more data in its November 2007, to include brochure information, a larger color illustration and a small model of the UAV. According to Japanese officials, the “Unmanned Aircraft Research System” UAV technology demonstrator program started in 2003 and will yield a completed prototype in 2008, with test flights to commence in 2009. It is intended to serve first as a technology demonstrator but TRDI officials concede that it may also be used for high-speed surveillance, as a target drone or as a decoy. The use of an odd looking faring over its optical surveillance turret is explained as necessary because a nose-mounted optics package would produce aerodynamic instability. But this use also suggests the UAV will be used for weapon targeting, inasmuch as the turret configuration will allow better in flight tactical flexibility. It will be powered by a U.S. made small turbojet produced by the Teledyne Company.

www.strategycenter.net...

Yep, it's a test UAV. From an official Japanese government website www.mod.go.jp... source www.mod.go.jp...

I thought it was a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger super Space Plane.

C'mon - that was funny!

the thing i belive is samller version of what to come...

I think it will be used similarly as more advanced Killerbee UAV (it can be a spy drone or a missile).This Japanese UAV seems far too complicated to be stored one on another in a truck as is the Killerbee. It is probably also too expensive to use as a missile, so I think it will be either a spyplane or a UCAV with small bomb load.