Australia Japan Frigate Deal moved into sharp focus in Melbourne this month after Australia and Japan signed a contract aboard JS Kumano for three upgraded Mogami-class frigates. The agreement, part of Project Sea 3000, is aimed at reversing a decline in Australia’s surface combatant fleet as the Royal Australian Navy faces its smallest warship numbers since World War II. The first frigate is due for delivery by December 2029, with the wider build program expected to stretch into the next decade.
Three ships now, eight more later
Under the contract, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build the first three 4, 800-ton frigates in Japan. Another eight frigates are scheduled to be built in Western Australia, creating a combined program that will ultimately deliver 11 upgraded Mogami-class ships for Australia. The shipbuilding effort is expected to cost up to A$20 billion over the next decade, roughly double the amount indicated two years ago.
The deal is being described as Japan’s largest-ever defense export and a major boost for its shipbuilding industry. It also deepens strategic alignment between the two countries at a time when Australia is seeking to replace its seven Anzac-class frigates with a more capable fleet.
Officials frame the Australia Japan Frigate Deal as a capability jump
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said: “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. ”
Rear Admiral Stephen Hughes, the RAN’s Head of Naval Capability, said the ships would change more than the fleet count. “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, ” he said, adding that the design would affect both combat systems and the way the navy operates and crews highly automated vessels.
Industry work is already moving
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. The frigates will also carry 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 SeaRAM.
Hughes said the goal is to keep Australian changes to a minimum because extra customization would slow delivery. He said the selection was based on finding the best ship with the most compatible capability for Australian use.
Fleet pressure remains the backdrop
The Royal Australian Navy currently has 10 surface combatants: three Hobart-class destroyers and seven Anzac-class frigates. Officials say the upgraded Mogami-class ships are meant to replace the Anzac class and lift availability to 300 days at sea annually. Hughes rejected the idea that the navy is simply shrinking, saying the transition is toward a different force with greater capability.
For now, Australia Japan Frigate Deal stands as a marker of both urgency and ambition: an effort to rebuild naval strength quickly while linking Australian procurement more closely to Japanese industry. The next major milestones will be industrial delivery, the first ship in December 2029, and the shift toward construction in Western Australia as the program advances.
