dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Mogami frigate – ‘fast and stealthy, like a ninja’

By Kym Bergmann -29/12/2024

During a pre-Christmas visit to Japan, a small group of Australian journalists were given unprecedented access to one of two contenders for SEA 3000 – the Mogami FFM frigate, the upgraded version of which is being offered to the RAN. The ship is impressive, with high levels of crew automation and a stealthy design that will make it difficult to detect and target.

The government of Japan has guaranteed delivery of the first ship to Australia in 2029 – one of the key requirements for the General Purpose Frigate (GPF) project. Prime contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is in the process of delivering an initial batch of 12 Mogamis to the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) – and we witnessed the launching ceremony of the 10th in the series in Nagasaki on December 19.

…The stealthy shaping of the ship has been influenced by MHIs experience in the design and manufacture of advanced combat aircraft. While signature details are classified, the radar cross section of a sleek Mogami is probably two orders of magnitude less than a similar sized ship with a conventional layout. They are designed to have a 40 year life-of-type made possible by a philosophy of designing for hardware and software upgrades.

Another important stealth feature is the lack of a funnel – which is also a physical vulnerability in a warship. Instead, exhaust gas comes out of several vents behind the radar mast and from outlets in the hull, dramatically reducing the ship’s IR signature by eliminating major hotspots.

…First impressions of Kumano are of a slim, stealthy, extremely advanced and well laid out warship. The walkways are spacious, and most piping and cabling is behind covers making everything look clean, neat and new. The integrated bridge provides the first evidence of automation and draws heavily on commercial shipbuilding experience, reducing the number of crew required from the usual eight down to four.

…A study of the [Combat Information Centre] and bridge explains why Mogami frigates have achieved such small crew numbers – and it is not just due to high levels of automation but also alterations to how the ship is managed. The two best examples are that Kumano has neither a separate radio room or a damage control centre, the former usually directly behind the bridge and the latter buried deep in the bowels of the ship in a spot least likely to be hit during combat…

https://asiapacificdefencereporter.com/mogami-frigate-fast-and-stealthy-like-a-ninja/