At the Indo-Pacific 2025 naval exhibition in Sydney, Rear Admiral Stephen Hughes, Head of Navy Capability for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), outlined a strategic pivot toward a more automated and lethal surface fleet. Central to this vision is the acquisition of 11 Upgraded Mogami-class frigates from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), a deal valued at approximately $10 billion (AUD).
As the RAN prepares for its lowest hull count since World War II, dropping to nine vessels during the transition, Hughes emphasized that the move is an exchange of "quantity for high-end capability."
Rear Admiral Hughes identified four pillars that will define the RAN’s capability through the 2030s: 🔻
📌 Surface Combatants: Transitioning from the aging Anzac-class to the Mogami and Hunter-class fleets.
📌 Submarines: Sustaining the Collins-class while integrating nuclear-powered AUKUS assets.
📌 C5I: Enhancing Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence.
📌 Autonomy: Rapidly scaling the Ghost Shark (UUV), Speartooth (LUUV), and Bluebottle (USV) programs.
The Upgraded Mogami-class frigate (or "New FFM") is a generational leap for the Royal Australian Navy, providing a "1-for-1.5" capability boost over the aging Anzac-class. By doubling the displacement to 6,200 tonnes, the Mogami significantly increases both firepower and endurance. 🔻
📌 Massive Arsenal: Its 32 "Strike Length" cells can house a mix of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles or up to 128 ESSM Block 2 interceptors, offering far superior air defense and strike options.
📌 Smart Design: Advanced automation, including a 360-degree augmented reality "Advanced Integrated CIC", cuts the required crew in half. This directly addresses Australia’s naval recruitment challenges.
📌 Persistence: With a 10,000-nautical-mile range and high mechanical reliability, these ships are designed to remain on station in the Indo-Pacific for nearly 10 months of the year.
While utilizing a Japanese hull and sensor suite, including the UNICORN integrated mast and OPY-2 AESA radar, the Australian variants will be customized with Western weaponry: 🔻
📌 Air Defense: ESSM Block 2 and SeaRAM.
📌 Surface Strike: Naval Strike Missiles (NSM).
📌 Anti-Submarine: Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedoes.
📌 VLS Capacity: The 32-cell "strike length" silos provide the latent capability to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles or SM-6 long-range interceptors.
Transition and Industrial Plan: The "no-change" requirement for the first vessels is designed to prevent "customer-injected" delays, ensuring the first delivery remains on track for 2029. 🔻
📌 Global Build: The first three ships will be built at MHI’s Nagasaki shipyard in Japan to secure early production slots.
📌 Sovereign Build: The remaining eight ships will be constructed at the Henderson Defence Precinct in Western Australia under a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement with Austal.
📌 Maintenance Synergy: Australia will "ingest" the Japanese data-driven maintenance system, allowing for real-time monitoring of gas turbines and diesels across a combined fleet of over 35 vessels between the two nations.
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