Massive frigate buy from Japan jolts Australian warship program

MANILA, Philippines — Australia has moved to reverse a decline in the number of warships, as its surface combatant fleet stands to fall to its smallest size since World War II.

Under Project Sea 3000, Australia and Japan inked a deal to buy three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The contract was signed by the two countries’ defense ministers aboard JS Kumano in Melbourne earlier this month.

This represents Japan’s largest-ever defense export, a major boost to its shipbuilding industry, and it advances greater strategic alignment between the two countries.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will construct three 4,800-ton frigates in Japan, with the first to be delivered by December 2029.

Another eight frigates will subsequently be built in Western Australia. This shipbuilding effort is slated to cost up to A$20 billion (US$14.4 billion) over the next decade, double the amount indicated two years ago.

Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy stated: “This is the fastest acquisition for the Royal Australian Navy in peacetime. We’re working closely with Japanese and Australian industry partners as we acquire one of the most, if not the most, advanced general-purpose frigate in the world.”

Speaking to Defense News, Rear Admiral Stephen Hughes, the RAN’s Head of Naval Capability, said: “It’s going to be a game-changer from a capability perspective. The reality is that Mogami is going to allow us to jump a generation in technology in a ship,” not only in its combat system, but how the RAN operates and crews these highly automated ships.

Subcontracts are already being awarded, including Japanese company NEC – for nine types of equipment such as sonars and UNICORN integrated masts – and Rolls-Royce for MT30 gas turbines.

These frigates are desperately needed, since the RAN presently has just ten surface combatants – three Hobart -class destroyers and seven Anzac -class frigates. The latter will be replaced by the upgraded Mogami.

Hughes rejected the notion that the navy’s capability is currently declining. “I think what you’re managing is a transition from a current force which has a certain amount of capability, to a different force with greater capability, different opportunities. And I don’t believe you count the number of ships. It’s about the capability.”

Hughes described the upgraded Mogami as larger and far more capable than the Anzac class, plus they will offer greater availability of 300 days at sea annually.

Their armaments include ESSM Block 2 surface-to-air missiles in a 32-cell Mk 41 vertical-launch system, deck-mounted Naval Strike Missiles, MK 54 lightweight torpedoes and a SeaRAM.

Otherwise, these frigates will boast Japanese systems and sensors such as the combat management system, sonar and UNICORN mast.

Hughes explained the aim is to have as few Australianized changes as possible, because that “would delay the delivery of the ship.”

He added, “We’ve actually picked the best ship with the most compatible capability for the Australian navy’s use.”

Ultimately, Australia and Japan will end up operating a combined fleet of 35 Mogami frigates.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

菲律宾马尼拉——澳大利亚已采取措施扭转军舰数量下降的趋势，因为其水面作战舰队的规模可能降至二战以来的最小水平。

根据“海上3000计划”，澳大利亚和日本签署了一项协议，澳大利亚皇家海军（RAN）将购买三艘升级版的最上级护卫舰。两国国防部长于本月初在墨尔本的“熊野”号航母上签署了该合同。

这代表着日本有史以来最大的国防出口，极大地促进了日本造船业的发展，并加强了两国之间的战略合作。

三菱重工（MHI）将在日本建造三艘4800吨级的护卫舰，第一艘将于2029年12月交付。

随后，西澳大利亚还将建造另外八艘护卫舰。这项造船工程预计在未来十年内耗资高达200亿澳元（144亿美元），是两年前预估金额的两倍。

国防工业部长帕特·康罗伊表示：“这是澳大利亚皇家海军在和平时期最快的采购。我们正在与日本和澳大利亚的工业伙伴密切合作，采购世界上最先进的通用护卫舰之一，甚至可能是最先进的。”

澳大利亚皇家海军海军能力主管斯蒂芬·休斯少将接受《防务新闻》采访时表示：“从能力角度来看，这将改变游戏规则。事实上，最上级舰艇将使我们在舰艇技术上实现一代飞跃，”这不仅体现在其作战系统上，也体现在澳大利亚皇家海军如何操作和操控这些高度自动化的舰艇上。

分包合同已经开始授予，其中包括日本公司 NEC（提供声纳和 UNICORN 集成桅杆等九种设备）和劳斯莱斯（提供 MT30 燃气轮机）。

这些护卫舰急需，因为澳大利亚皇家海军目前只有十艘水面作战舰艇——三艘霍巴特级驱逐舰和七艘安扎克级护卫舰。后者将被升级后的最上级护卫舰取代。

休斯驳斥了海军能力目前正在下降的说法。“我认为，我们正在经历的是从一支现有能力水平达到一定程度的部队，向一支能力更强、机遇更多的部队过渡。而且我认为，衡量标准不应该只看舰艇的数量，而应该看能力。”

休斯称升级后的最上级比澳新军团级更大、性能更强，而且每年可提供 300 天的海上航行时间。

他们的武器装备包括ESSM Block 2舰空导弹（采用32单元Mk 41垂直发射系统）、舰载海军打击导弹、MK 54轻型鱼雷和海拉姆导弹。

否则，这些护卫舰将配备日本的系统和传感器，例如作战管理系统、声呐和独角兽桅杆。

休斯解释说，目标是尽可能少地进行澳大利亚式的改动，因为那样“会延误船舶的交付”。

他补充说：“我们实际上挑选了最适合澳大利亚海军使用且性能最匹配的舰艇。”

最终，澳大利亚和日本将共同运营一支由 35 艘最上级护卫舰组成的舰队。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。