Australia awards navy frigate contract to Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy

5/8/2025 11:15

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will deliver the first of Australia's new navy frigates under a A$10 billion ($6.5 billion) deal, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday.



The three frigate contract will be the biggest Australian defence purchase since the government in 2023 agreed to build nuclear-powered submarines with the United States and Britain, and one of Japan's biggest defence export deals.



"Its going to be really important in terms of giving our navy the capability to project, and impactful projection is at the heart of the strategic challenge," Marles said, adding it was "a very significant moment in the bilateral relationship between Australia and Japan".



Japan's Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani said it was a "major step forward in Japan's defense cooperation efforts".



"The benefits include enhanced joint operations and interoperability with both Australia and the United States," he told a briefing in Tokyo.



MHI's Mogami frigate was selected over German company Thyssen­Krupp Marine Systems' MEKO A-200 in a meeting of the Australian government's national security committee on Monday.