Australia to get new warships at record speed amid Indo-Pacific tensions

Australia has chosen Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to construct 11 advanced frigates worth $10bn, with the first vessel due for delivery in 2029.

The Albanese government has selected a Japanese firm to build Australia’s newest fleet of warships in record time as Canberra races to prepare for looming conflict in the Indo Pacific.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build 11 Mogami-class frigates to replace the ANZAC-class fleet, which Australia has been operating since World War II.

With taxpayers stumping up an initial $10bn, Australia is expected to get its first Japanese-built Mogami by 2029 and its third by 2034.

Announcing the deal alongside Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the boats would create a “bigger” and “more lethal” Royal Australian Navy.

“I’ll begin by thanking both tenderers for the high-quality tender they both put in, and the cooperative spirit they engaged with the Department of Defence as we moved at speed to make this decision,” Mr Conroy told reporters at Parliament House, in a nod to German rival bidder Thyssen­Krupp Marine Systems.

“But, ladies and gentlemen, in terms of cost, capability and meeting our schedule of delivery, the Mogami-class frigate was the clear winner.”

Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build Australia’s newest fleet of warships. Picture: Department of Defence

He said the acquisition cost “of all three designs examined was comparable, but over the whole of life, the cost of the Mogami is much lower”.

On the tight timeline, he said the “stealth frigate is in production right now”.

“It was the only option to meet the government’s timeline of the first frigate being delivered in 2029 for service in 2030,” Mr Conroy said.

“It also meets our operational needs when considering the environment, the seas and oceans, in which it’s more likely to be deployed.

“And it offered the best option in terms of capability.”

In terms of what that capability looks like, it quadruples the number of air defence missiles fireable to 128.

They can also fire SM-2 and SM-6 missiles, or “the most advanced air and missile defence weapons in the world”, as Mr Conroy noted.

The Albanese government has spent billions on acquiring more SM-2 and SM-6 missiles to fill defence gaps identified in the Defence Strategic Review.

“These missiles, which are also being deployed on our Hobart-class destroyers and on our future Hunter-class frigates, will enable the navy to strike maritime, land and air targets at long range,” Mr Conroy said.

“The Mogami-class frigate will also have the ability to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles, giving the navy more vessels that can strike at longer distances, and taking our general purpose frigates’ strike range from 275km to 2500km – an almost ten-fold increase in strike range.”

The first Japanese-built frigate is expected to be delivered in 2029 and enter service in 2030. Picture: Department of Defence

While the initial cost over 10 years is $10bn, NewsWire understands the end cost is unknown.

This is, in part, because contracts have not yet been signed and will not be until some time next year.

Before anything is inked, the government must bang out cost details and firm up timelines beyond the 2034 precondition.

NewsWire also understands the $10bn will not only go toward the ships but into building up the capability to shift production to Western Australia’s Henderson Defence Precinct, where the remaining eight Mogamis will be built.

The “continuous pipeline” plan will directly support an estimated 10,000 jobs.

Another advantage of the Mogami-class is its stealth capabilities and smaller crew requirements.

Whereas the German offering required 120 crew, the Mogamis only require 90.

If delivered on time, which the Japanese have given assurances on, the new fleet will be the fastest defence acquisition of its size in Australian history.

Originally published as Australia to get new warships at record speed amid Indo-Pacific tensions