The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has taken delivery of its 10th Mogami-class multi-mission stealth frigate, the JS Nagara (FFM-10), from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
The handover is part of a 2017 contract to construct up to 12 vessels to replace the military’s Abukuma-class general-purpose destroyer escorts commissioned in the late 1980s.
MHI transferred the latest surface combatant to the navy from its facility in Nagasaki, where seven other Mogami platforms were also built.
Following its induction, the Nagara will be operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s 2nd Patrol and Defense Squadron, and will be stationed at Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture, according to Asahi.
The event was attended by 120 visitors, with Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense Shinji Yoshida leading the ceremony.
“The security environment surrounding our country is the most severe and complex since the end of the war,” Yoshida remarked.
“As a country surrounded by the sea on all sides, we have extremely high expectations for this state-of-the-art destroyer in the defense of our nation. We pray that this ship will become a powerful support for our country.”
Japan’s Mogami Frigate
The Mogami-class frigate’s development began in 2015 and centered on a “compact-type hull” warship design with “additional multifunctional capabilities.”
The vessel spans 133 meters (436 feet) in length and has a beam of 16 meters (52 feet).
It can carry about 90 personnel and has dedicated spaces for a naval helicopter, autonomous systems, and support boats.
The platform uses a vertical launch system and deck-mounted canisters to fire surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, as well as anti-submarine rockets and torpedoes.
It is also armed with mine-laying equipment, remotely operated weapon stations, electronic warfare devices, and 127mm shipborne guns.
The Mogami is fitted with a combined Rolls-Royce gas turbine and twin large-bore diesel engines with 70,000 horsepower for a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 kilometers/35 miles per hour).
