Key points
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won a fierce contest
- It beat bid from German rival ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems
- The first three of the frigates are expected to be built in Japan
- The remaining eight to be built in Western Australia
ISLAMABAD: Australia will upgrade its navy with 11 Mogami-class frigates built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday.
Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won a fierce contest to build the Australian navy’s new fleet of warships, beating a bid from German rival ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, according to ABC News.
Defence Minister Richard Marles announced that the cabinet had selected Japan’s upgraded Mogami frigate over the German MEKO A-200.
The first three of the frigates are expected to be built in Japan, with the remaining eight to be built in Western Australia.
Billed as Japan’s biggest defence export deal since World War II, Australia will pay US$6 billion (Aus$10 billion) over the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates.
Long-range firepower
Australia is in the midst of a major military restructure, bolstering its navy with long-range firepower in an effort to deter China, according to AFP.
It is striving to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next decade.
“This is clearly the biggest defence-industry agreement that has ever been struck between Japan and Australia,” Marles said, touting the deal.
“This decision was made based on what was the best capability for Australia,” he added.
“We do have a very close strategic alignment with Japan.”
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was awarded the tender over Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
Stealth frigates
Mogami-class warships are advanced stealth frigates equipped with a potent array of weapons.
Marles said they would replace Australia’s ageing fleet of Anzac-class vessels, with the first Mogami-class ship to be on the water by 2030.
“The Mogami-class frigate is the best frigate for Australia,” said Marles.
“It is a next-generation vessel. It is stealthy. It has 32 vertical launch cells capable of launching long-range missiles.”
The deal further cements a burgeoning security partnership between Australia and Japan.
Japan is deepening cooperation with US allies in the Asia-Pacific region that, like Tokyo, are involved in territorial disputes with China.
Both Japan and Australia are members of the “Quad” group alongside India and the United States.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday the deal was “proof of trust in our nation’s high-level technology and the importance of interoperability between Japan’s self-defence forces and the Australian military.”
“Big step”
It was also a “big step toward elevating the national security cooperation with Australia, which is our special strategic partner”, Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo.
Japan’s pacifist constitution restricts it from exporting weapons — but in 2024 Tokyo loosened arms export controls to enable it to boost sales abroad.
The order is Japan’s biggest defence export deal since World War II, according to local media.
Defence industry minister Pat Conroy said the Mogami-class frigates were capable of launching long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.
“The acquisition of these stealth frigates will make our navy a bigger navy, and a more lethal navy,” he said.
