Manufacturer catalog

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Tokyo-headquartered Japanese industrial and defense manufacturer whose Aircraft, Defense & Space segment covers defense aircraft, missile systems, naval ships, maritime systems, tanks, and space systems. Its catalog relevance centers on Japan-linked aerospace and naval weapons, including the F-2 support fighter, ASM-3A air-to-ship missile, and Japan's role in the Global Combat Air Programme.

4 weapons

MHI traces its corporate roots to Yataro Iwasaki's 1884 lease of the government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard, later expanding through shipbuilding, heavy machinery, aircraft, and railway-car production. The present Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was reconstituted after postwar breakups and consolidated again in 1964, leaving a broad engineering group with defense work embedded in a much larger civil-industrial portfolio.

For defense context, MHI's own materials place defense aircraft, missile systems, naval ships, maritime torpedoes, special vehicles, and space systems inside its Aircraft, Defense & Space business. The company reported FY2024 revenue of 1,030.6 billion yen for that segment and cited increased sales of missile systems and defense aircraft, alongside major orders tied to Japan's expanded Defense Buildup Program.

Defense aircraftMissile systems and stand-off defenseNaval ships and maritime systemsDefense vehiclesSpace launch and space systemsUnmanned aerial, underwater, and ground vehicle technology

Notable Systems

F-2 Support Fighter, Close support fighter jet, Aircraft & UAVs

F-2 Support Fighter

Close support fighter jet

MHI identifies itself as the primary contractor for the Japan-U.S. F-2 programme, with Lockheed Martin, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Subaru listed as subcontractors.

Sources: MHI F-2 Fighter
ASM-3A, Japanese air-to-ship missile, Munitions

ASM-3A

Japanese air-to-ship missile

Janes reported that MHI would deliver ASM-3A extended-range supersonic air-to-ship missiles to the JASDF for F-2 deployment, and linked the company to follow-on ASM-3 Kai development.

Sources: Janes DSEI Japan 2025 ASM-3A
Tempest, sixth-generation crewed combat aircraft programme, Aircraft & UAVs

Tempest / Global Combat Air Programme

sixth-generation crewed combat aircraft programme

MHI's medium-term plan says the company is supporting the Japan, UK, and Italy GCAP governments with BAE and Leonardo on next-generation fighter aircraft development.

Sources: MHI 2024 Medium-Term Business Plan

Manufacturer History

  1. Nagasaki shipbuilding roots

    MHI's history page traces the company's origin to Yataro Iwasaki leasing the government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard and starting shipbuilding work on a full scale.

    Sources: MHI History

  2. Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries launched

    MHI says Mitsubishi Shipbuilding became Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries in 1934, manufacturing ships, heavy machinery, airplanes, and railroad cars.

    Sources: MHI History

  3. Postwar entities reconsolidated

    After World War II breakup into West, Central, and East Japan Heavy-Industries, the company was consolidated in 1964 and reborn as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

    Sources: MHI History

  4. F-2 production memorandum signed

    MHI's F-2 chronology records a July 1996 Japan-U.S. production memorandum for the F-2, following the 1995 first prototype flight.

    Sources: MHI F-2 Fighter

  5. Defense growth plan detailed

    MHI's 2024 medium-term plan identified stand-off defense, integrated missile defense, next-generation fighter development, unmanned systems, and space as defense business expansion areas.

    Sources: MHI 2024 Medium-Term Business Plan

  6. ASM-3A delivery schedule reported

    Janes reported from DSEI Japan 2025 that MHI would deliver ASM-3A missiles to the JASDF by the end of 2025 for deployment on F-2 fighters.

    Sources: Janes DSEI Japan 2025 ASM-3A

Predecessors
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.West Japan Heavy-Industries, Ltd.Central Japan Heavy-Industries, Ltd.East Japan Heavy-Industries, Ltd.
Website links
Official websiteCorporate profileSpace & Defense productsMHI Report 2025

MHI is a diversified industrial group, so this manufacturer page focuses on public defense, aerospace, missile, naval, maritime, vehicle, and space-system context relevant to connected catalog records. Conflict-use claims remain in individual weapon records where directly sourced.

Manufacturer Sources

  • MHI Corporate ProfilePublisher: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Note: Supports legal name, Tokyo head offices, foundation and establishment dates, corporate scale, and the Aircraft, Defense & Space business listing. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MHI Head OfficesPublisher: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Note: Supports the Marunouchi registered head-office address used for headquarters. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MHI HistoryPublisher: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Note: Supports the 1884 Nagasaki Shipyard origin, 1934 Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries formation, postwar breakup, 1964 reconsolidation, and automobile department separation context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MHI Space & DefensePublisher: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Note: Supports MHI's public defense product areas, including defense aircraft, missile systems, naval ships, submarines, undersea and shipboard equipment, and defense vehicles. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MHI Report 2025 Aircraft, Defense & SpacePublisher: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Note: Supports Aircraft, Defense & Space segment revenue, key defense product categories, FY2024 growth drivers, and major defense-order context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MHI F-2 FighterPublisher: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Note: Supports MHI's F-2 primary-contractor role, Japan-U.S. development context, and programme chronology. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MHI 2024 Medium-Term Business PlanPublisher: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Note: Supports MHI's defense growth priorities, GCAP support with BAE and Leonardo, and expansion of missile, unmanned, and space-related defense capacity. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Janes DSEI Japan 2025 ASM-3APublisher: Janes | Note: Supports MHI's ASM-3A delivery role, F-2 deployment context, and reported ASM-3A dimensions and range. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Wikimedia MHI Yokohama BuildingPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and license page for the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Yokohama Building photo; Commons lists the file as CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

2/2

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

1/1

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

1/1
Bofors 375 mm rocket launcher, Shipboard anti-submarine rocket launcher, Naval SystemsBofors 375 mm rocket launcherShipboard anti-submarine rocket launcherBuilt in: Sweden / France / JapanThe Bofors 375 mm rocket launcher is a Swedish shipboard anti-submarine rocket-depth-charge system developed after World War II and fielded in two-, four-, and six-tube forms. The M/50 family tied sonar-directed fire control to an unmanned powered mount, below-deck ammunition handling, and 375 mm rockets, while license and derivative production by Creusot-Loire and Mitsubishi spread the system across French, Japanese, German, Dutch, Swedish, and export warship fits.