The Albanese Government has announced the selection of Japan’s upgraded Mogami-class frigate as the preferred platform for the Royal Australian Navy’s new general purpose frigates, according to a joint media release issued on 5 August 2025.
Following a competitive tender process, the Japanese design offered by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was judged to best meet the Australian Defence Force’s capability requirements and strategic priorities.
The selected variant features a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles, a 32-cell Vertical Launch System, and a mix of anti-ship and surface-to-air missile systems.
“This announcement is another example of the Albanese Government’s focus on investing in the capabilities we need now and into the future, to meet Australia’s strategic circumstances,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles. “The upgraded Mogami-class frigate will help secure our maritime trade routes and our northern approaches as part of a larger and more lethal naval surface combatant fleet.”
The frigates will replace the ageing Anzac-class, providing enhanced undersea warfare and air defence capabilities. The first three ships will be built in Japan, with the first expected to arrive in 2029 and become operational in 2030. The remainder will be constructed at the consolidated Henderson shipbuilding precinct in Western Australia.
Defence Minister Pat Conroy highlighted the missile capacity of the new platform as a key advantage. “It will take our general purpose frigates from being able to fire 32 air defence missiles to 128 missiles, giving our sailors the cutting‑edge weapons and combat systems they need to prevail in an increasingly complex environment,” he said.
The decision comes months ahead of schedule and follows the Government’s earlier commitment to respond to the Independent Analysis of Navy’s Surface Combatant Fleet. Over the next decade, $55 billion will be invested in the naval surface fleet, with long-term plans to more than double the number of Navy surface combatants.
While the Government acknowledged the quality proposal from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, it will now move into contract negotiations with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japanese government, aiming to sign binding commercial agreements in 2026.
T26 order dead ?
No, this is in addition to those six Hunter-class frigates. Overall, a twenty ship escort fleet of three Hobart-class destroyers, six HUnter-class frigates and eleven upgraded Mogami-class frigates. Currently, the RN is planning for a nineteen ship escort fleet, though it has been reported that this could climb significantly in the future.
Hi leh. I wondered where you had seen reports about possible increases to the Royal Navy fleet of Frigates. Do you have any information, would be appreciated.
Hey John,
Unfortunately, I can’t post links in this forum without having the message flagged to moderation, so I’ll only be able to give you the search terms for Google. Those should lead you to the relevant article.
Search for ‘UKDJ 25 escorts’ in Google, it should be the first search result.
I think you’ll find that was a Boris Johnson target back a while. Not a cat in hells chance now. We’ll be lucky to have a dozen, never mind 20/25.
That was a 2021 article, no sign of the T32 yet.
Heck, did you see all those posters ? Where are they all now, I don’t recognise 90% of those names.
Hi leh.. Thanks for the info: Will have a look. I know the RN is on for the figure of 19 Destroyers and Frigates by 2035. Hope there will be a few more on top of that figure.
He didn’t say Frigates he said escorts which is 100% correct there are 8 T26 and 5 T31 Frigates building or on order (13) plus the 6 T45 AAW Destroyers. Which as it stands was the 1 for 1 Frigate replacement programme for the 13 T23 which plus the T45 is the escort force.
No increase above that has been announced nor do I suspect anything will be (if at all) till after the DIP is released in the Autumn (Defence Investment Plan).
Just having 3 or 5 more frigates in the future would make quite a difference to the balance of the escort fleet. Will see, hoping/fingers crossed. Also curious to see what happens when the 3 older River class patrol vessels are retired.
I seriously doubt we will see any additional escorts, everything will be focused now on the jam tomorrow of project CABOT. Three MRSS will be ordered with that order being split between rosyth and Belfast with both yards being closed in the mid 2030’s again.
No, these are in addition I believe, although Australia did reduce their order from 9 to 6 (they call them the Hunter class).
The first Hunter class is already under construction.
Not dead—complementary. The Mogami-class frigates are for the RAN’s general purpose fleet (SEA 3000), while the Type 26-based Hunter-class frigates are still being built under SEA 5000 for anti-submarine warfare. Both programmes are proceeding in parallel to expand and modernise the surface fleet.
Reduced from 9 to 6. Australia no longer feels ASW is such a big priority because it doesn’t fit in with the current narrative in the Murdoch media of hypersonic missiles and photon torpedos. What they really now want are five thousand missiles on blingy general purpose frigate from a country that has never fought a war since 1945 and has some serious hang ups about supplying weapons even to its closest Allie’s.
Two years from now this Frigate will follow the standard Australian play book where it is claimed to be too expensive and too under armed and they will say they should have really gone for the German one which would have been so much cheaper and better (it wouldn’t)
Japanese ship yards with zero export experience will have a hard time dealing with a customer like the RAN.
Once they try and build them in Australia costs will sky rocket just like every other naval program they embark on and the navy will continuously interfere in the design because they know best.
All this was the same for Saab from Sweden, Navantia from Spain, Naval Group from France and now BAE from the UK.
In their defence i think the Australian government here is very conscious of its past misjudgements and mismanagement and wants to get this Mogami purchase right and the AUKUS subs. Credibility and capabilities are on the line and big monies. See how they go. Its more than doubling of the fleet.
I wonder whether the first of these or the first of the Hunters will enter service first. Probably a silly question.
As things stand, the first Hunter‑class frigate is expected to enter service in 2032, with construction underway in Adelaide. On the other hand, the first Mogami‑class frigate is expected to be in service by 2030, since it is being built in Japan first before local production ramps up. So unless timelines shift, the Mogami will almost certainly enter service earlier than the Hunter.
Suppose to be 2029, they are building the first three in Japan so they will probably go quick then hit raid blocks when they switch to domestic production. At least they will get three frigates delivered though before cancelling.
No, the first Hunter Class (T26) is under construction although the order for the RAN has been reduced from 9 to 6.
Final RAN surface fleet combatants will include 3 Hobart (AWD), 6 Hunter (T26) and 11 Mogami – 20 in total.
The 32 cell VLS on the Mogami are ‘strike length’ which means they will be able to launch the full complement of RAN’s in-service missiles – SM2, SM3, SM6, Tomahawk and ESSM (quad packed) plus canister launched NSM.
BAE has designed a module to replace the Multi Mission Bay in the Hunter (T26) which will add an additional 64 MK41 VLS (taking total to 96 cells) plus double NSM canisters from 8 to 16.
There is also the possibility for the 6 Arafura class OPVs now entering service to act as ‘arsenal’ ships using off-board targeting from other ships sensors with containerised launch systems like the U.S. ‘Typon’ VLS system (SM6, Tomahawk) on the flight deck.
The RAN fleet review committed to developing autonomous uncrewed ‘arsenal’ ships with numbers and details of weapons systems yet to be determined.
All in all the RAN will have a potent surface fleet for a country of just 25 million.
And just to be lovingly Australian it will be 1 more escort than the RNs planned 19 escorts for a country of 70 million.
There is very little chance of that, especially when Australia wants to build 8 of the mogamis
Maybe they will finally see sense and just let Japan build all 11 for them.
At some point someone has to realise you can’t build warships in a country where people get paid $200k a year to dig holes in the ground and you can’t make any kind of advanced manufacturing product in a country that has no manufacturing base left and is thousands of miles away from supply chains.
Australia has world class research facilities and it’s probably the worlds most efficient resource extractor with a top class agricultural industry but it’s one of the worlds worst places to manufacture anything.
Mogami cannot use any SM missiles, that requires AEGIS
The RAN was launching SM2 Block IIIA from their now retired Adelaide class (USN Perry Class) frigates – a non Aegis ship.
The CEAFAR AESA radar and AMCAP upgraded fire controls (SAAB 9LV) to Anzac class are also now capable of SM2 launches.
While the current Mogami frigate cannot launch SM2 the RAN is acquiring the upgraded FFM export version specifically developed for Australia which will launch SM2, SM6 and Tomahawk. It’s why it’s fitted with ‘strike length’ MK41 VLS and precisely why the Japanese bid was successful in meeting the RAN requirements.
The Mogami will also see the RAN use the SeaRam rolling frame missile for the first time as a CIWS in place of the Phalanx system.
The Adelaide pre dates Aegis, modern SMs require it or a specially modified production run for different radars.
CEAFAR was built around using American missiles, Mogamis are not getting CEAFAR
The Australians are getting a no modifications design, Japanese radar isn’t compatible with SM
Where has SEARAM been stated
Sea Ram is fitted to the current Mogami. Take a look at a photo of the ships in service.
The FFM export version for Australia is a bigger ship than the in service Mogami 7,000 tonnes (vs 5,000 tonnes), 145 metres long (vs 133) and 18 metre beam (vs 16.3).
The FFM is not getting CEAFAR (systems integration issues with the Hunter class have been learned) but it does have a capable AESA radar already fitted.
So the ‘off the shelf’ notion is a bit of a fiction but the ships will be highly capable for a Tier 2 combatant.
OZ
No enduring concerns re the RAN escort fleet; the submarine flotilla is a separate matter. SSN-A availability during the 2040s? No problemo. Virginia class availability during the 2030s? Ummm…er…ummm…could we interest the RAN in some gently used, recently decommissioned LA class vessels? Not necessarily a prediction of future developments, but certainly a topic worthy of discussion, and more importantly, the development of a viable, short-term Plan B.
Be interesting to see with the CIP into the T31s what this will give the RN compared to the Mogami’s. Still good but different. The RN could still add a few more enhanced T31s/A140/MRP if need be. Anyway good on the Aussies, it will be quite a force with not just mk41s but all coming with the 5″ main gun.
I am seriously not surprised by Australias decision, in fact I’d have been Gob Smacked if it had chosen otherwise. They wanted an OTS solution ASAP with some built abroad and then locally, the Japanese FFG are an active “hot line” programme and with a massive amount of logistical commonality with existing Australian programmes.
There is no way whatsoever that Germany could deliver Frigates to Australia as fast as Japan can, they are having serious issues with their own surface builds at present, where as Japan is churning them out at 2pa.
As for a U.K. offering we weren’t even in the down select, but never mind there will be plenty of U.K content in the Hunters and who knows the next generation AAW ships could be a Hunter / T83 derivative 🤔
Both Australia and Japan use mainly US or US compatible weapons and sensors and both the Mogami and Hunter class use RR MT30 GT sets so it makes perfect sense to keep logistics and interoperability simple.
Massive Kudos to Japan and pretty good news for my RR Share price 👍🏻
As for the US LCS and Constellation class are looking pretty expensive mistakes.
The Japanese even offered as a sweetener to allow the RAN to jump the queue on the Japanese production lines.