Australia strikes deal for new Navy fleet 

Australia is setting its sights on a new navy fleet under a contract with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).  

The move marks the largest defence industry deal between Japan and Australia, and comes at a time when the Pacific region is facing renewed interest from major powers including the United States and China.  

The Mogami frigate  

Under the deal, Australia is set to acquire 11 Mogami-class frigates from MHI, with three of them to be built in Japan and eight in Western Australia.  

The initial contract is said to be worth AU$10 billion, according to a report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.  

The frigates are expected to replace the ANZAC-class ships, which have been operating since the end of World War II.  

According to close observers, these vessels have more firepower and will require a smaller crew.  

Defence Minister Richard Marles cited the capability of the new vessels as one of the reasons why Japan was chosen over Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. 

“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”, he said, as cited by The Guardian.  

Defence industry minister Pat Conroy echoed the same sentiments, saying the Mogami-class frigate emerged as the “clear winner” when it came to cost, capability delivery schedule. 

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Australia-Japan ties on a high 

Marles also framed the decision as a significant win in Japan and Australia’s bilateral relationship, saying it was the “biggest defence industry agreement” struck between the two nations.  

It is also among Japan’s largest defence exports.  

“We do have a very close strategic alignment with Japan.”

“There’s no other country in the world that is quite as aligned with Australia as Japan”, Marles said.  

He added the first of the frigates will hopefully start operating by the end of this decade, just before Australia receives the first of the Hunter Class vessels in 2034. 

Meanwhile, in a post welcoming the decision, Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to continue cooperating with Australia “across both government and industry”.

Both sides are expected to finalise the contract this year.

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