Japan MOD Takes Delivery of AEGIS Destroyer DDG-179 JS Maya


On March 19 2020, Japan Ministry of Defense took delivery of its first Maya-class guided-missile destroyer, JS Maya (DDG-179), during a ceremony at the Japan Marine United Corporation’s Yokohama Shipyard Isogo Works facility. The destroyer Maya will be engaged in public safety and order maintenance at sea.


Japan MOD Takes Delivery of AEGIS Destroyer DDG 179 JS Maya 925 001 Japan launches lead Maya-class ballistic missile defense destroyer (Picture source: JMSDF)


JS Maya (DDG-179) is a Maya-class guided-missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Maya was named for Mount Maya and shares her name with a World War II heavy cruiser.

The new destroyer class is 170 meters long, displaces 8200 tons, will operate with a crew of 310 sailors and will be fitted with the AEGIS Baseline J7 combat system and the Northrop Grumman AN/SPQ-9B radar system.

Maya-class destroyers will field the SM-3 Block IIA missiles, for interception of short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and will be capable of launching SM-6 anti-air missiles.

The ships are equipped with one 5-inch (127mm/L62) Mk-45 Mod 4 naval gun in a stealth-shaped mount, two 20 mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS), SM-3 Block IIA and SM-6 air/missile defense missiles and Type 17 ship-to-ship missiles.

Powered by two combined gas turbine-electric and gas turbine (COGLAG) engines, the ship and 300 crew are propelled to a maximum stated speed of 30 knots.