Earlier today, the Australian Ministry of Defence officially announced its decision to select the Japanese proposal to equip the Royal Australian Navy with the new Mogami-class stealth frigates. This marks a significant step in the country’s program to modernize and expand its surface fleet. It was noted that the selection process was completed ahead of the scheduled timeline, reflecting the urgency of advancing acquisitions to ensure the Navy remains equipped for current and future challenges.
Among the official statements, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said: “The enhanced Mogami-class frigate will help secure our maritime trade routes and our northern approaches as part of a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet (…) We thank both Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, as well as the governments of Japan and Germany, for their dedication and cooperation throughout this acquisition process.”
Australia’s Defence Industry Minister, Pat Conroy, stated: “Today we are taking another step toward building a much larger and more lethal Navy, with stealth frigates that will reassure our allies and deter our adversaries (…) This will enable our general-purpose frigates to go from being able to fire 32 air defence missiles to 128 missiles, providing our sailors with the cutting-edge weapons and combat systems they need to prevail in an increasingly complex environment.”
Expanding on the details, it is worth recalling that this decision means the Japanese proposal, presented jointly with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, prevailed over an alternative German offer for MEKO A-200 frigates from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. Looking ahead, Canberra must now proceed to the next stage of negotiations with Tokyo to sign binding commercial contracts by 2026, with delivery of the first ship expected in 2029 — to be operational by 2030, years earlier than originally planned.
As a result, the Royal Australian Navy will finally be able to retire its oldest Anzac-class frigates, replacing them with ships featuring advanced air defence and anti-submarine capabilities. In parallel, the Navy is also working to modernize its Hobart-class destroyers and acquire a range of missiles to equip them.
It is also important to highlight that the selection of the Japanese proposal will provide a significant boost to Australia’s naval industry — especially for the shipbuilding facilities in the city of Henderson. As previously reported, this was one of the key factors that helped sweeten the offer for the Mogami-class frigates, aligning with the government’s plans to create up to 10,000 defence industry jobs in Australia, with billions of dollars to be invested over the next two decades.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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