Mitsubishi Launches 11th Mogami-class Frigate for Japanese Navy

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has launched the 11th Mogami-class frigate for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), according to the service’s official account on X.

The launch took place at the company’s shipyard in Nagasaki, where the Mogami-class frigates are being constructed.

The new vessel has been named Tatsuta (たつた), after the Tatsutagawa River, a tributary of the Yamatogawa River flowing near the city of Ikoma in Nara Prefecture.

It is the third ship in Japanese naval history to bear the name Tatsuta, following an Imperial Japanese Navy gunboat and a light cruiser that served between the 1920s and the 1940s.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has ordered a total of 12 Mogami-class frigates. The launch of Tatsuta marks the penultimate ship in the series, with the final vessel expected to be launched by the end of 2025.

The keel for Tatsuta was laid on July 3, 2024. After 12 months of construction, the frigate will now undergo final outfitting and sea trials ahead of its planned commissioning into the JMSDF in 2026.

The Mogami-class frigates are modern, multi-role surface combatants developed for the JMSDF. Measuring approximately 130 meters in length and 16.3 meters in beam, the ships displace 3,900 tons standard and up to 5,500 tons fully loaded.

Powered by a CODAG propulsion system that combines a Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine and two MAN diesel engines, the frigates can reach speeds of over 30 knots and have an operational endurance of more than 30 days. Each ship is crewed by around 90 personnel.

Armament includes a 127 mm Mk 45 Mod 4 naval gun, 16 Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS) cells for Type 23 and Type 07 VL-ASROC missiles, and eight Type 17 (SSM-2) anti-ship missiles.

For anti-submarine warfare, the frigates carry six 324 mm torpedo tubes for Type 12 torpedoes. Close-in defense is provided by a SeaRAM system and two remote weapon stations. Each frigate can operate one SH-60K or SH-60L helicopter.

Sensors and combat systems include the OPY-2 active electronically scanned array radar, OYQ-1 combat management system, OAX-3 electro-optical system, and sonar suites OQQ-11 and OQQ-25. The ships also feature mine countermeasure capabilities and the NOLQ-3E electronic warfare suite.

Militarnyi previously reported that Mitsubishi’s Nagasaki shipyard launched the 10th vessel of the class in December 2024.