Reassure allies, deter adversaries, make Australia safer: Canberra orders 11 Mogami-class frigates
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said on August 5, 2025: "The Mogami-class frigate is the best frigate for Australia." In what constitutes a historic breakthrough in bilateral military cooperation, Australia has selected Japan to supply 11 multi-mission frigates derived from the Mogami class, at an estimated cost of A$10 billion (approximately US$6.5 billion). This is Japan's largest ever naval export contract and the first of its kind in the country's history, which has long been restricted by its pacifist constitution.
Japanese Mogami-class frigates to replace the ANZAC-class
The Australian Navy, faced with a planned capability gap due to the gradual withdrawal of its Anzac-class frigates (which entered service in the 1990s), needed to fill a critical gap before the delivery of the future Hunter-class frigates, expected from 2034. This new program meets a dual requirement: to accelerate the strengthening of the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) surface capabilities and to counter China's growing maritime power in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the South China Sea and the South Pacific archipelagos.
The Anzac-class was developed in the 1970s by German shipbuilder Blohm & Voss, part of TKMS (ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems), and built by Australian shipyard Tenix Defence. The first ship of the Anzac class (FFH 150 HMAS Anzac) entered service on May 18, 1996. The ships are a version of the Meko 200 class developed by the German shipyard TKMS. Between 1996 and 2006, the Royal Australian Navy commissioned eight Anzac-class frigates: FFH 151 HMAS Arunta, FFH 152 HMAS Warramunga, FFH 153 HMAS Stuart, FFH 154 HMAS Parramatta, FFH 155 HMAS Ballarat, FFH 156 HMAS Toowoomba, FFH 157 HMAS Perth.
The selected replacement for these are an export adaptation of the Japanese Mogami (FFM) class, designed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). This third-generation multi-role frigate model entered service with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force in 2022.
Main characteristics and comparison to the Hunter-class:
- Displacement: 5,500 tonnes vs 8,200 tonnes (full load)
- Length: 133 meters vs 151,4 meters
- Maximum speed: 30 knots vs 27+ knots
- Crew: 90 to 100 (thanks to advanced automation) vs 183–208
- Propulsion: CODOG (Rolls-Royce gas turbines + Kawasaki diesel engines) vs Combined Diesel Electric or Gas (CODLOG)
Armament of the Mogami-class:
- 32 VLS (vertical launch system) cells compatible with Tomahawk missiles, ESSM Block 2 and future hypersonic missiles
- Type 17 anti-ship missiles or Otomat/NSM equivalent depending on export specifications
- 127 mm Mk 45 Mod 4 gun, SeaRAM CIWS and light torpedoes
The Hunter-class is designed to carry MU90 torpedoes and Mark 54 air-launched torpedoes, Mark 45 Mod 4 5-inch gun, SM-2 and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, advanced anti-ship missiles, Mk 41 vertical launch system, Nulka decoy system, Surface Ship Torpedo Defence system, AGM-114N Hellfire air-launched missile, air-launched Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS).
Onboard systems of the Mogami-class:
- Dual-band AESA radar
- Full electronic warfare suite
- ASW capabilities: towed sonar, hull sonar, onboard MH-60R helicopter
The Hunter-class will use CEAFAR2 radar, S2150 hull mounted sonar, S2087 towed array and variable depth sonar, electro-optical sensors, electronic warfare systems, and will carry one MH-60R helicopter as well.
The contract for the Mogami-class frigates acquisition provides for construction of the first three units in Japan, at the Nagasaki shipyards (MHI), and for local production of the next eight in Australia, at the Henderson shipyards near Perth. The first ship is expected to be delivered by the end of 2029, at a rate of two units per year. The entire series could be operational before 2036, in parallel with the Hunter program.
Japan won the contract against Germany (ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the MEKO A-200) after South Korean and Spanish bids were eliminated earlier. The decisive criteria for Australia's choice include superior stealth capabilities, interoperability with allied forces, particularly the US and Japan, optimized life cycle, with a reduced crew and maintenance costs 30% lower according to Australian Defense Department data, and accelerated delivery, a crucial factor in the current security context.
The program is part of an unprecedented strengthening of strategic relations between Japan and Australia, supported behind the scenes by the United States, a major partner of both countries within the AUKUS alliance and the QUAD. In addition to the capability aspect, this acquisition anchors Australia in a logic of Indo-Pacific interoperability, strengthens the Japanese shipbuilding industry, confirming its rise in the export market, and consolidates a maritime front against Chinese ambitions through a shared naval architecture between Canberra and Tokyo.
Richard Marles: Absolutely the best ship
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said on August 5, 2025, during a press conference in Canberra: "The Mogami is absolutely the best ship and that was very clear in all the advice that we received. It is a next-generation vessel. It is stealthy, it has 32 vertical launch cells capable of launching long-range missiles, it has a highly capable radar, it has a highly capable sonar." For his part, Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said: "This was an intentional acquisition strategy of the Australian Government to access an established production line and not change it. Let me repeat that – using an established production line and not changing the frigate other than translating the combat system and any changes required by Australian law is how we get speed to capability and how we can stand up here and say the first one will be delivered in 2029, in only five years' time, and will be in service in 2030. (...) It will transform our Navy into a more lethal and bigger Navy. This will reassure our allies, deter our adversaries, and make Australia safer.."
Beyond its bilateral dimension, this acquisition foreshadows a standardization of naval platforms among allies in the Indo-Pacific axis. Japan has also promised to prioritize deliveries to Australia, to the detriment of its own navy.
