Australia will upgrade his navy with 11 frigates from Mogami class, which were built by the Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, said Defense Minister Richard Marles on Tuesday.
Australia has been paying 6 billion US dollars ($ 10 billion Australian dollars) as a Japanese export contract since the Second World War in the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of Stealth frigates.
Australia is located in the middle of a large military restructuring and strengthens its navy with long -term firepower to deter China.
It strives to expand its fleet of large warships in the next decade from 11 to 26.
“This is clearly the largest agreement between the defense industry that was ever hit between Japan and Australia,” said Marles and advertises with the deal.
“This decision was made on the basis of the best skills for Australia,” he added.
“We have a very close strategic agreement with Japan.”
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries received the offer through German Thyssenkrupp -Marine systems.
Mogami-class warships are advanced stealth frigates with a strong selection of weapons.
Marles said that they would replace the aging fleet of Australia fleets from ANZAC class ships, with the first Mogami class ship being on the water by 2030.
“The Mogami class frigate is the best frigate for Australia,” said Marles.
“It is a next generation ship. It is secret. It has 32 vertical start cells that can start long -range missiles.”
The deal continues to cement a burgeoning security partnership between Australia and Japan.
Japan deepens the collaboration with US allies in the Asian-Pacific region, which, like Tokyo, is involved in territorial disputes with China.
In addition to India and the United States, both Japan and Australia are members of the “Quad” group.
The spokesman for the Japanese government, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said on Tuesday that the deal was “a proof of trust in the high -ranking technology of our nation and the importance of interoperability between Japanese self -defense forces and the Australian military”.
It was also a “big step to increase national security cooperation with Australia, which is our special strategic partner,” Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo.
“Fatal”
Japan’s pacifist constitution limits them to export weapons – but in 2024 Tokyo loosened the export controls of the weapons so that they can increase sales abroad.
According to the local media, the command is Japan’s largest defense contract since World War II.
Pat Conroy, Minister of the Defense Industry, said that the Mogami class frigates are able to start long-distance Tomahawk cruise rocks.
“The takeover of these stealth frigates will make our navy a larger navy and a more fatal navy,” he said.
The first three Mogami class frigates are built abroad after overseas, said Conroy, whereby the shipbuilding yards in Western Australia are expected to produce the rest.
In 2021, Australia announced a contract for the acquisition of U-boats from nuclear companies of US core and was drawing a long plan for developing non-nuclear subs from France.
Under the three-part Aukus pact with the United States and the United Kingdom, the Australian Navy plans to acquire at least three Virginia class submarines within 15 years.
The Aukus Submarine program alone could cost the country up to 235 billion US dollars over the next 30 years, according to the Australian government forecasts, a prize that has criticism of criticism.
Large defense projects in Australia have long suffered from cost crossing, U-turns, political changes and project plans that make more sense for the creation of local jobs.
Australia plans to gradually increase its defense expenditure to 2.4% of gross domestic product – up to the goals of 2% allied by NATO allied, but only 3.5% of the United States.
