Overview

• Cabinet’s national security committee chose Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Mogami-class design over Germany’s MEKO A-200 based on life-cycle cost, firepower and delivery schedule.
• Three frigates will be built at MHI’s Japanese yards and eight assembled at the Henderson Defence Precinct in Western Australia, generating up to 10,000 local jobs.
• The upgraded Mogami-class features a 32-cell vertical launch system, 10,000-nautical-mile range and automation that reduces crew requirements by about 25 percent.
• The A$10 billion contract is the largest defence-industry agreement ever between Australia and Japan and forms a key part of a broader A$55 billion surface fleet modernisation.
• Analysts caution that Japan’s first major warship export and the expansion of Western Australian shipyards could lead to higher costs and delivery delays.