Australia Upgrading Navy with 11 Advanced Warships from Japan

YOKOSUKA, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 06: The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force stealth frigate JS Mo
Issei Kato - Pool/Getty
Simon Kent

Australia is spending billions of dollars upgrading its navy with 11 new-build Mogami-class frigates from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday.

In what is possibly Japan’s single biggest defence export deal since World War II, AFP reports Australia will pay U.S.$6.5 billion across the next decade to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates.

Australia is in the midst of a major military restructure, bolstering the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with long-range firepower in an effort to deter a more aggressive China seeking to project power across the South China Sea.

The RAN is striving to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next decade and acquiring one of the world’s most hi-tech warships is now a crucial part of that scheme.

“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.

“This is Japan’s largest defence export deal since 1945 with a non-U.S. partner,” said Yee Kuang Heng from the University of Tokyo’s Security Studies Unit.

“And only the second since Tokyo loosened its guidelines on defence exports in 2014, which led to exports of air surveillance radar to the Philippines.”

According to AFP, Heng said the deal was a “massive shot in the arm” for Japan as it sought to strengthen its defence manufacturing industry.

Three of the frigates will be built in Japan, with the first scheduled to be operational Australia in 2030, and the remaining eight due for construction in Australia.

AFP contributed to this story

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