Framed by the facilities located in Nagasaki, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force celebrated the christening and launch of the eleventh Mogami-class stealth frigate. The ceremony adds to other important milestones of the program, as the past months of May and June saw the official commissioning of JS Niyodo and JS Yubetsu, the seventh and eighth ships of the class, and the first to be equipped with the MK 41 vertical launch system (VLS).
Officially named JS Tatsuta, the 133-meter-long frigate is named after the river of the same name. It is the eleventh and third-to-last Mogami-class unit built by MHI to equip the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
As previously reported, MHI is currently conducting trials and evaluations of JS Natori and JS Nagara, the ninth and tenth ships of the class, which are scheduled for delivery at the end of this year and the beginning of next, respectively.
As for JS Tatsuta, the launch marks the beginning of the next construction phase, focused on the above-waterline structure with the installation of various systems and combat equipment. Its commissioning is scheduled for the end of Fiscal Year 2026, which concludes on March 31, 2027.
It is also worth noting that with the launch of JS Tatsuta, only one ship remains to be floated, which has not yet received an official name. However, since its construction has progressed in parallel with that of JS Tatsuta, the corresponding ceremony may take place in the coming weeks or months.
In this way, MHI—through its shipyards in Nagasaki and Tamano—will complete the series of twelve ships ordered by the Japanese Ministry of Defense for the Maritime Self-Defense Force. However, this does not represent the end of the class itself, as the company has received contracts for the construction of two new stealth frigates based on the Mogami-class design, provisionally referred to as “Enhanced Mogami,” featuring greater displacement, size, and combat capabilities.
Lastly, it is worth highlighting Japan’s efforts to position the Mogami-class as an increasingly solid option to equip the Royal Australian Navy with a new class of warships to replace the current Anzac-class frigates. In this process, the Japanese proposal is competing with the German MEKO A-200-class–based design.
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