In the fiscal year 2021 supplementary budget, the Ministry of Defense earmarked 8.4 billion yen ($57 million) for the acquisition of its first two 16-cell Mk 41 VLSs to be equipped with two Mogami-class frigates. According to ATLA officials, these two VLS sets will be delivered to the defense ministry next fiscal year 2024 starting on April 1. Specifically, the two VLS sets will be installed on JS Niyodo (FFM-7), or the seventh ship of the Mogami-class, and JS Yubetsu, the eighth ship of the Mogami-class, ATLA officials said.
The MoD has also secured 78.7 billion yen for the acquisition of Mk 41 VLS and other equipment for the remaining 10 Mogami-class vessels in its fiscal year 2023 budget. Out of these 10 VLSs, three are scheduled to be delivered to the MoD in FY2025, four in FY2027, and three in FY2028, an MoD document obtained by Naval News shows.
MHI is the only Japanese company that has signed a direct commercial sale contract with Lockheed Martin for licensed production and testing of the Mk 41 VLS under the approval of the US government.
The Mogami-class frigate, also known as FFM, is the JMSDF’s stealthy multi-mission frigate, intended for surveillance missions in waters surrounding the Japanese archipelago, including the East China Sea. According to the JMSDF, this frigate class is equipped with enhanced multirole capabilities, including the ability to conduct anti-mine warfare operations, which until now have been performed by the JMSDF’s ocean-going minesweepers. It has a standard displacement of 3900 tons with a full load displacement of about 5500 tons.
The Mogami-class ships, each of which is capable of embarking one helicopter as well as an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), will also be equipped with a VLS and an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), both of which will see the first instalment on any Japanese frigate ever.
The JMSDF had originally planned to build a total of 22 Mogami-class frigates as Tokyo ramps up efforts to strengthen the country’s naval forces. However, it has decided to now procure a total of only 12 such frigates until the current fiscal year 2023, with plans to acquire a new class of 12 FFMs from 2024 until 2028. The new frigates will essentially be improved Mogami-class ships that are set to be built to the design proposed by MHI.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said the new-class FFM will be fitted with longer-range missiles, enhanced anti-submarine capabilities, and improved capabilities for various maritime operations. With better anti-aircraft and search capabilities, the new FFM may become closer to an FFG (missile frigate).
In an epoch-making move, the Australian government has listed the Mogami-class frigate as one of the four candidates for the Royal Australian Navy’s next general-purpose frigate, with the other three vessels being selected from Spain, Germany, and South Korea. Specifically, on February 20, the Australian government released an independent analysis report on the RAN’s surface combatant fleet capability, in response to the recommendations of Australia’s 2023 Defense Strategic Review published last April.
Most notably, the report lists Germany’s MEKO A-200, Japan’s Mogami-class frigate built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, South Korea’s Daegu-class FFX Batch II and III, and Spain’s Navantia ALFA 3000 as candidates for the RAN’s next general-purpose frigate.
However, from JS Mogami (FFM-1), the lead ship of the Mogami-class, which was commissioned in April 2022, until the eighth ship of the class JS Yubetsu, which was launched in November last year, none of the ships have been equipped with VLS yet.
For this reason, even a YouTube channel specializing in JMSDF vessels started showing a video asking, “Will the Mogami-class really be equipped with a VLS?”
In addition, in response to the Australian government’s selection of the Mogami-class frigate as one of the candidates for the next frigate in its review of the Australian Navy’s surface combat fleet, some foreign military commentators have criticized the Mogami-class by raising doubts about its anti-aircraft and air defense capabilities, as it has still not been equipped with a VLS.
Looking ahead, there is some possibility the Australian government will seek the new FFM rather than the current Mogami-class vessels in the near future, because the former will have a larger and more lethal surface combatant capability to meet the RAN’s requirement. In the fiscal year 2024 budget, the MoD earmarked 174 billion yen($1.2 billion) for the construction of first two new FFMs, which are scheduled to be deployed in FY2028.
