Defence Australia chooses Japan to build A$10bn Mogami frigates

Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has secured a major defence contract to build the Australian Navy's next-generation warships, edging out a competing proposal from Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. Defence Minister Richard Marles announced on Tuesday that the government had selected Japan's upgraded Mogami-class frigate over the German MEKO A-200 design. Under the plan, the first three frigates will be constructed in Japan, while the remaining eight will be built in Western Australia. The initial A$10 billion contract covers not only the first three vessels but also investment in local shipbuilding infrastructure, workforce training, and missile systems needed to support the entire fleet.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the frigates would replace Australia's ANZAC-class ships, the oldest surface combatant fleet the navy has been operating since the end of World War II. "This does represent a very significant moment in the bilateral relationship between Australia and Japan," Mr Marles said. "This is the biggest defence industry agreement that will ever have been struck between Japan and Australia. It's one of the biggest defence exports that Japan has ever engaged in." Mr Marles said the first would come into service by the end of this decade, closing a gap that would have otherwise meant Australia would not receive a new surface combatant until 2034, when the first of the Hunter Class vessels would arrive.

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Yesterday, Japan and Australia reached a deal for Tokyo to supply the first three of a planned 11 upgraded Mogami-class frigates to the Australian Navy, in what is being described as the largest defence export contract of Japan's postwar period. The agreement was signed in Melbourne by Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles. Officials on both sides said it reflects closer strategic ties between the two countries, which already work closely on security. It is also expected to expand cooperation in both military and industrial areas, though the full scope is still being worked out.


Marles said the first ship is expected to arrive in 2029. He added that in the early 2030s, the Mogami-class frigate would form the backbone of ongoing naval shipbuilding in Western Australia. He was speaking at a ceremony held aboard the Mogami-class frigate Kumano, which was in Australia for the Kakadu multilateral maritime exercise.