Japan is procuring compact, labor-saving multimission frigates at a rapid pace to address China’s day-to-day maritime assertion and expansion activities in the East China Sea and the broader Indo-Pacific theater.
Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has launched the latest frigate, the 11th of a planned fleet of 12 Mogami-class multirole frigates, for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Named Tatsuta, the 133 meter-long vessel (pennant number FFM-11) entered the water in a ceremony held on July 2 at the company’s Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works in Nagasaki Prefecture.
The newest frigate was named after the Tatsuta River, a tributary of the Yamato River that flows near Ikoma City of Nara Prefecture located in the Kansai region of Honshu of the Japanese archipelago. All ships of the class are named after famous rivers in Japan, designated as a “Class A river.”
The shipyard will now proceed to the fitting out stage of the frigate, ahead of its delivery and commissioning set for by the end of fiscal year 2026 that ends March 31, 2027, according to the JMSDF.
This is the third Japanese military ship to bear the name Tatsuta, following a dispatch ship and the second ship of the Tenryū class of light cruisers, both in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Equipped with a compact hull, the Tatsuta is being built for about 58.3 billion yen ($406 million) under a contract awarded in February 2024, according to the JMSDF. As with the other ships of the class, the 3,900-tonne vessel will have a crew complement of about 90 (out of whom 10 are women), a beam of 16.3 m, and a hull draught of 9 m.
As China expands the size and capabilities of its naval and air forces, Japan is striving to defend the southwestern Nansei Islands, including the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands are administered by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.
In addition, Russia has been increasingly sending naval and air forces to the seas surrounding the Japanese archipelago for both joint exercises with China and its own independent activities.
Destroyers and aircraft carriers such as the Izumo class allow Japan to project power to some extent. But it is betting on smaller, missile-laden frigates that are cheap to operate and easy to keep deployed without huge commitment in manpower.
Such vessels are better at countering its assertive neighbors effectively without being seen as too provocative by them.
The Mogami-class frigate, also known as 30FFM, is the JMSDF’s stealthy multimission frigate, intended for surveillance missions in waters surrounding Japanese islands. It is equipped with enhanced multirole capabilities, including the ability to conduct anti-mine warfare operations.
Most notably, the Mogami class only needs about 90 crew members, less than half the crew complement of destroyer-type vessels such as the Asahi class, which has a crew complement of 230 sailors.
Powered by a combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion system featuring two MAN 12V28/33D STC diesel engines and one Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine, the Mogami-class frigates are expected to be capable of attaining a top speed of more than 30 knots. The Mogami class marks the first instalment of a CODAG system on any JMSDF ship.
The JMSDF plans to build a total of 12 Mogami-class frigates. From fiscal year 2024 to 2028, Japan will earmark funds to acquire the upgraded Mogami-class vessels, called the New FFMs (also known as 06FFM). The first of the upgraded class of frigates is scheduled to be commissioned in fiscal year 2028, and if construction proceeds smoothly, all 12 New FFMs will be in service within by fiscal year 2032.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said the new-class FFM will be fitted with longer-range missiles, upgraded multifunction radars and sensors, enhanced anti-submarine capabilities, and improved capabilities for various maritime operations. Specifically, the ship-launched, improved version of the Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile (SSM) and the new ship-to-air guided missile (or simply A-SAM) will be equipped on the New FFM. The number of Mk.41 vertical launching system (VLS) cells, which serve as missile launchers, will also be doubled from 16 on the Mogami class to 32 on the New FFM.
With better anti-aircraft and search capabilities, the New FFM will be closer to a missile frigate (FFG).
In August 2023, the Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) selected MHI and Japan Marine United as the prime contractor and subcontractor respectively to construct the New FFM.
The ministry has earmarked 174 billion yen for fiscal year 2024 budget for the construction of the first two New FFMs. It has secured 314.8 billion yen to build three New FFMs for the fiscal year 2025 budget.
Requesting construction costs for three New FFMs in one year is very unusual. In the past, the Defense Ministry had secured the budget only for either two Mogami-class FFMs or two New FFMs every year.
The ministry plans to acquire a total of 12 New FFMs.
In a landmark move, last November the Australian government shortlisted Japan’s MHI and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) over Spanish and South Korean contenders to build the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)’s SEA3000 General-Purpose Frigate (GPF) program, which aims to replace its aging ANZAC-class frigates with 11 state-of-the-art vessels.
Tokyo is very eager to sell its frigates to Australia. MHI has pitched the New FFM to the Albanese government; TKMS has offered its MEKO A-200 design. The Australian government is expected to select either MHI or TKMS by the end of this year, with the contract scheduled to be signed by March of 2026. The first three ships will be built in either Japan or Germany, with the first vessel expected to be delivered to Australia by 2029. The remaining eight will be constructed at a shipyard in Western Australia.
The project’s total value is estimated at up to $10 billion Australian dollars (US$6.6 billion) out to 2034. Australia’s Defense Ministry may plan to spend more money on elements such as facilities expenses, sustainment, and logistics beyond 2035.