Australia, Japan concludes the largest defense agreement for advanced warships | Soldiers

The Australian minister rents an agreement for the new generation, the Mogami class frigates and their long -range missile capacities.

Australia and Japan have concluded the largest defense-industry agreement never War ships advanced for the Australian Navysaid the Minister of Defense of the country, Richard Marles.

Australia will upgrade its naval force with 11 Mogami class frigates, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan, said Marles on Tuesday, with Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC, reporting that the contract was worth $ 10 billion Australian dollars (some $ 6.5 billion).

“It is clearly the biggest agreement in the defense industry that has ever been concluded between Japan and Australia,” said Marles.

The Mogami Class warships are advanced furtive frigates capable of launching long -range missiles and have an operational range of up to 10,000 naval miles (18,520 km), compared to the current Australian Anzac frigates of Anzac, which have a range of approximately 6,000 seably miles (11.112 km), said Marles.

The new ships, which will be in service by 2030, also operate with a smaller crew than the Anzac class.

“It’s a new generation ship. It’s stealthy,” said Marles.

“This will be very important in terms of donation from our navy the ability to project, and the impactful projection is at the heart of the strategic challenge,” said Marles, adding that the agreement was also “a very important moment in the bilateral relationship between Australia and Japan”.

The Minister of Australia in the defense industry, Pat Conroy, said: “We will need our general frigates to be able to draw 32 air defense missiles at 128 missiles, giving our sailors the weapons and the advanced combat systems they need.”

Although Canberra did not specify a price for ships, only that it was part of a larger investment of Australian $ 55 billion ($ 35.5 billion) during the decade for the fleet of surface -overnuts of the navy “, the reuters news agency reported that the” three frigate contracts “will see three ships built in Japan, and one respected to be built by Australia.

The contract for the frigates is the most important and most important defense agreement in Japan, because it has raised a ban on several decades on military exports in 2014, and only the second after agreeing to provide air defense radars to the Philippines.

The Japanese Defense Minister, General Nakatani, said that it was a “major step in cooperation efforts in the defense of Japan”.

“The advantages include improved joint operations and interoperability with Australia and the United States,” he told Tokyo.

“This collaboration is of significant security importance for Japan,” said Nakatani.

Negotiations will start this year on a contract for the agreement, which should be signed in 2026, said Australian and Japanese officials.

Australia is in the In the midst of a major military restructuring Announced in 2023, emphasizing the long -term striking capacities to better respond to the naval power of China.

He strives to extend his fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next 10 years.