Australia Selects Japan to Supply New $10 Billion Frigate Fleet

Australia has chosen Japan to build 11 general-purpose frigates at a cost of around $10 billion (US$6.47 billion), Defence Minister Richard Marles and Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy have announced.

To be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Mogami frigate was selected ahead of the German TKMS MEKO A-200.

The deal marks the first time Australia has chosen to buy Japanese defence equipment, and only the second time Japan has exported such equipment overseas.

Meanwhile, Australia is being offered an upgraded version of the Mogami, the FFM. It is larger, displacing 6,200 tonnes fully loaded, compared to 5,500 tonnes for the current version.

It is capable of everything from surveillance to minesweeping operations and features advanced electronic warfare and sensor equipment.

“The upgraded Mogami-class frigate boasts a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles, a 32 Cell Vertical Launch System, and is fitted with surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship missiles,” Marles said.

At that time, Japan hadn’t exported any defence equipment, but has since sold radar equipment to the Philippines. The submarine bid also did not receive as much support from the Japanese government compared to what was thrown behind the MHI approach.

Eight Mogamis are currently in service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, with four more under construction.

Mitsubishi is capable of producing around two ships a year, which was undoubtedly an important consideration for Australia, as it needs to quickly replace its ageing fleet of ANZAC-class frigates.

The first three will be built in Mitsubshi’s two yards in Japan, and the remainder at the Henderson shipyard in Western Australia. This schedule means the first Australian vessel can be commissioned in 2029.

The vessel can be crewed by just 90 sailors, half the number required for Australia’s existing frigates, and is expected to last for 40 years, reducing lifetime ownership costs and offsetting a price that was reportedly 20 percent higher than the German bid.

Competition between the two bidders was fierce, with Germany inviting journalists to visit its shipyards to highlight its track record of exporting frigates and criticising Japan’s minimal experience in exporting defence-related equipment.

Last week in Canberra, the head of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Seiji Izumisawa, presented the final bid to Australian government and defence officials, telling them the company was keen to grow the relationship in defence and space.

“Japan and Australia are like-minded countries that can contribute greatly to the prosperity of the region and world through greater cooperation in a range of fields,” he said at a reception organised by the Japanese embassy.

Takeshi Ishikawa, commissioner of the Japanese Defence Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA), said strengthening trilateral cooperation among Japan, the United States, and Australia will contribute to maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ships of the Mogami class are powered by a single Rolls-Royce gas turbine and two MAN Diesel engines. They can achieve high speeds in excess of 30 knots (around 55.5 kilometres per hour or 34.5 miles per hour).

Each frigate is armed with BAE Systems’ Mark 45 5-inch (127 mm) naval gun system, alongside two 12.7 mm remote weapon systems made by Japan Steel Works. They also boast Lockheed Martin’s 32-cell vertical launching system for surface-to-air missiles, twice as many as the Meko A-200.

They’re also capable of firing eight ship-launched variants of MHI’s Type 12 anti-ship missile.

Raytheon’s SeaRAM system provides a close-in last line of defence against incoming missiles and even small boats. Sea mines, along with mine-laying equipment, can be deployed for mine warfare work.

Carrying more missiles means the Mogamis will spend less time returning to port for re-arming, or, if Australia follows intended U.S. replenishment practice, undertaking extremely difficult reloads at sea.

“The combination of a small crew and deep magazines results in high efficiency: a Mogami of the upgraded design has only 2.8 crew members per missile cell, compared with 3.4 for the U.S. Arleigh Burke class and 7.5 for the Meko A-200. Between the higher efficiency and magazine depth, the Mogami is well positioned to support the Australian strategy of defence by denial,” explained Eric Lies, fellow for alliance strategy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

While the German frigates were presumably offered with a combat control system developed from the one that the RAN already uses in its ANZAC-class ships, offering more seamless integration, the price associated with updating an older baseline rapidly increases and runs into hardware limitations.

The combat management system that the Mogami utilises was developed alongside the frigate, beginning in 2015, which means there are potentially considerable long-term cost savings.

But the Australian Navy will need time to adjust to the new Japanese combat management system, and there will be additional costs associated with integrating weapons that Australia uses but Japan doesn’t, Lies predicted.

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