In Japan, a ceremony was held to launch a Mogami-class frigate. In the future, the country intends to build several dozen such ships.
Today, a [...] new generation frigate for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), known as Mogami or Type 30FFM, was launched at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki. It was named JS Mogami. The two shipyards responsible for building the first two frigates of this type are Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki and Mitsui E&S in Okayama.
It is worth saying that back in 2020, Mitsui E&S launched another ship of this type — Kumano. Nevertheless, it is the frigate that is now launched that is considered the lead, that is, the first in a series or class of ships, each of which is built according to a common project.
JS Mogami
Image source: navalnews
The frigate was named after the Mogami River, located in Yamagata Prefecture. Together with the Kuma and Fuji, it is one of the three rivers with the fastest current in Japan. After the launch, the completion stage of the ship will begin, and it may become part of the fleet in 2022. Around the same time, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will receive Kumano.
Kumano
Image source: wikipedia
The Type 30FFM is a next-generation multi-role frigate developed for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is expected that a total of 22 frigates will be purchased for the JMSDF, the first batch may include eight ships. Now, in addition to the ships mentioned above, Japan is building several more new-generation frigates.
One of the main features of the ship is its low visibility and the achievement of the highest level of automation, thanks to which a sharp reduction in the number of crew became possible. According to the data presented in open sources, the total displacement of the new frigate is 5500 tons. The ship is 130 meters long and 16 meters wide. The crew consists of 90 people. The ship can reach a speed of more than 30 knots.
The growing competition is pushing the countries of the Asia-Pacific region to strengthen the naval component of their Armed Forces. Perhaps the most striking evidence of this can be considered the Japanese and South Korean programs for the construction of aircraft carriers, which have become a kind of response to China's strengthening in this direction.
Recall that Seoul recently made an official decision to transform the LPH-II aircraft carrier project into a full-fledged light aircraft carrier. It is assumed that it will be able to carry several dozen American fifth-generation F-35B fighters with a shortened takeoff and vertical landing.
