Australia and Japan have signed a deal to build three upgraded Mogami class frigates. It is the first major step in a bigger plan that could bring 11 new warships to the Royal Australian Navy.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Japanese counterpart Koizumi Shinjiro signed the agreement in Melbourne on Saturday. It is the biggest defence export deal in Japan’s postwar history.
The first frigate is expected to reach Australia by 2029. All three will be built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The other eight ships are planned to be built in Western Australia as the Henderson shipyard grows.
Each one has a 32 cell Vertical Launch System, surface to air and anti ship missiles and a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles.
A crew of 92 Royal Australian Navy personnel will operate each ship. Unlike the original Japanese version, the Australian frigates will use American and European weapons.
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The 2024 Integrated Investment Program put spending at between A$7 billion and A$10 billion. But the 2026 plan released this week raised that to A$15 billion to A$20 billion. The government has not said why the price went up.
The two defence ministers also signed what officials called the Mogami Memorandum.
It confirmed both countries commitment to making the program work. The deal strengthens the growing defence relationship between Australia and Japan as both countries pay closer attention to security across the Indo Pacific.
