On March 22, 2022, the [...] new-generation FFM 2 Kumano frigate (ままの), built at the shipbuilding enterprise of the Japanese company Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding Co., Ltd (the shipbuilding division of the Mitsui Group) in Tamano in Okayama Prefecture (in October 2021, Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding was sold to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.). This ship became the first frigate of the new Mogami type (project 30FFM) to enter service, although formally it is the second ship of this series. The lead frigate of this type FFM 1 Mogami (もがみ) was built at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Corporation shipyard in Nagasaki, but is still in the final stage of testing and its delivery to the Japanese fleet is expected in April 2022.
The new Japanese frigate FFM 2 Kumano of the new Mogami type (project 30FFM) on tests (with) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Multipurpose frigates of the new generation of the Mogami type were originally designed to replace Abukuma-type frigates in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces Navy, but then it was decided that promising frigates would also replace Asagiri and Murasame-type destroyers in the Japanese Navy, in connection with which the project was repeatedly reworked, eventually significantly increasing in size and combat potential, and the total number of planned by the construction of units increased from the original four to 22 ships. In addition, it was decided to give the new ships mine-fighting capabilities, which was the reason for the introduction of the letter "M" in the index. The fact that these ships represent a fundamentally new subclass of combat units for the Japanese fleet is also emphasized by the introduction of a new "zeroed" system of onboard numbers for them. The developer of the technical design of the ship was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Corporation, which became the main contractor for the construction of the series following the results of the tender.
In 2017, the Japanese Ministry of Defense issued a framework contract for the first eight frigates of the 30FFM project, with financing for two units per year from fiscal years 2018 to 2021, with delivery also for two per year from 2022 to 2025. The lead frigate of the new type FFM 1 Mogami was laid down at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki on October 29, 2019, was launched on March 3, 2021 and went to sea on October 6, 2021. As already mentioned, its delivery is scheduled for April 2022.
The second FFM 2 Kumano frigate was laid down at the Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding shipyard (now also Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) in Tamano on October 30, 2019, launched earlier than the main one (November 19, 2020), also went to testing earlier (in August 2021) and is now the first to be handed over to the fleet.
The following five frigates (FFM 3 - FFM 7) were ordered by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki, where the FFM 3 Noshiro and FFM 4 Mikuma ships were laid down on the same day on July 15, 2020 (launched, respectively, on June 22 and December 10, 2021), and the FFM 5 and FFM 6 ships were they were laid down on the same day on June 24, 2021. The FFM 8 frigate is to be built at the former Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding shipyard in Tamano. Further construction of the series is also expected to be carried out on two ships per year, with the commissioning of the last two of the 22 planned in 2032.
Mogami-type frigates are large ships with a total displacement of 5,500 tons, a length of 133 m and a width of 16.3 m. The main power plant is a two-shaft combined diesel-gas turbine with a total capacity of 70,000 hp, including two MAN 12V28/33D STC mainline diesel engines and a Rolls-Royce MT30 afterburner gas turbine. The full speed is more than 30 knots. The crew is 90 people, and on ships of this type, the Japanese navy plans to test a system of replacement crews, assuming to have four crews for every three ships.
The ship's armament includes eight Type 17 anti-ship missiles (SSM-2), a 16-charging Mk 41 universal vertical launcher for a promising Japanese medium- and long-range naval air defense system (presumably based on a Type 03 ground-based air defense missile - the Mk 41 has not yet been installed on the first two UVPU frigates), an 11-charging launcher The Raytheon SeaRAM self-defense missile defense system installation, a 127 mm/62 BAE Systems Mk 45 Mod 4 universal artillery installation, two 12.7mm remotely controlled machine gun mounts, four 324 mm torpedo tubes for type 12 anti-submarine torpedoes, one Mitsubishi SH-60L anti-submarine helicopter in the hangar. The ship is equipped for setting mines.
The basis of the ship's radio-electronic armament is the Mitsubishi Electric OPY-2 multifunctional radar complex with an X-band AFAR in an integrated mast and the Mitsubishi Electric OYQ-1 ASBU. Also installed are the NEC OQQ-25 sonar system with podkil and towed antennas, the Hitachi OQQ-11 mine detection gas, the Mitsubishi Electric OAX-3 electron-optical detection system, and the NOLQ-3E electronic warfare system. Anti-mine weapons should include remote-controlled underwater vehicles and Mitsubishi OZZ-5 unmanned boats.
The new Japanese frigate FFM 2 Kumano of the new Mogami type (project 30FFM) during the commissioning ceremony, 03/22/2022 (c) of the Japanese Navy Self-Defense Forces
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