04-08-2025
Australia to choose frigates from Japan or Germany within days: report
SYDNEY (Kyodo) -- Australia is expected to decide this week on whether to partner with Japan or Germany in building its new fleet of general purpose frigates, The Australian newspaper reported Monday, citing multiple defense industry sources.
According to the report, the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is poised to decide within days on whether to replace Australia's aging Anzac-class frigates with Mogami-class vessels designed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. or German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' MEKO A200s in a program worth up to AU$10 billion ($6.4 billion) over the next decade.
The cutting-edge Mogami-class frigates used by Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force are widely considered to have the edge as they are newer and better armed, The Australian reported.
The Japanese frigates are also able to operate with a smaller crew of around 90 personnel, compared with around 120 on the German vessels.
However the Mogami-class frigates are believed to be at least 20 per cent more expensive than the German vessels and riskier due to Japan's lack of experience in building warships overseas, according to The Australian.
The German vessels would offer familiarity as the MEKO A200 is a modern version of the Australian navy's Anzac-class frigates.
The frigate plan calls for 11 vessels, with the first three to be built abroad and the remainder at Western Australia's Henderson shipbuilding precinct, according to the Australian government.
The procurement is part of a planned increase in Australia's fleet over the next decade, amid China's growing military clout in the Indo-Pacific region.
