Australia will purchase 11 Mogami-class frigates, built by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), for 6 billion US dollars, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles announced today.
"This is clearly the largest defence industry deal ever between Japan and Australia," Marles said during a press conference in Canberra.
In the tender, MHI was competing with German group ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, while companies from Spain and South Korea were excluded in the early stages of the process.
Australia began a major reorganization of its armed forces in 2023, in particular to gain the ability to strike targets at a much longer range and to counter growing Chinese power, particularly at sea.
The Mogami low-altitude surveillance frigates, which are expected to enter service with the Australian Navy by 2030, are planned to replace the aging Anzac-class warships that entered service in the 1990s. They are capable of launching long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.
"The Mogami-class frigate is the best frigate for Australia," Marles assured.
"It is a new generation ship. It is invisible (hardly detectable by radar). It has a 32-cell vertical launch system, capable of launching long-range missiles. The acquisition of these frigates will make our navy larger and more deadly," he added. (A2 Televizion)
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