According to a tweet published by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on April 29, 2022, the Mogami frigate, the first of a 3,900-ton class destroyer for the Ministry of Defense, was delivered and left Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki Shipyard after 2 years and 6 months of construction.
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Mogami-class frigate JS Mogami (Picture source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)
The ceremony was attended by many officials of the Ministry of Defense, including Makoto Oniki, Vice Minister of Defense, Ryo Sakai, Chief of the Maritime Staff, and Atsuo Suzuki, Director General of the Defense Acquisition Agency. MHI's Naohiko Abe, Managing Executive Officer and General Manager of the Defense & Space Segment, and others attended the ceremony.
JS Mogami (FFM-1) is the lead ship of the Mogami-class frigate of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Mogami was laid down on 29 October 2019 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki, and launched on 3 March 2021.
The new vessel is a state-of-the-art destroyer that sets itself apart from conventional vessels based on the concept of compactness, manpower saving, and multifunctionality.
It has a novel exterior shape based on stealth technology, and an integrated control system that utilizes intelligent and systemized technology, making it possible to operate with about half the crew of a conventional naval vessel.
In addition, it is expected to be used for various missions such as anti-submarine warfare, anti-aircraft warfare, and anti-surface warfare in contingencies, in addition to the ever-increasing peacetime warning and surveillance.
The Mogami-class frigate (also known as 30FFM, 30FF, 30DX, or 30DEX) is a Japanese multi-mission stealth frigate in development for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
The vessel has an overall length of 130 meters (426 ft 6 in), breadth of 16 meters (52 ft 6 in), a standard displacement of 3,900 metric tons (3,800 long tons) with a full load displacement of about 5,500 metric tons (5,400 long tons), and a maximum speed of over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).
The frigates will be powered by a Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine. Weapons include a Mk 45 gun, two remote weapon stations above the bridge, 16-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) at the bow, 8 anti-ship missiles, one SeaRAM, an SH-60L helicopter, torpedoes, and decoy launchers.
