Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Maritime Systems has held a ceremony to launch a new Hibiki-Class Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System.

This was reported on the official page of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Forces on the X network.

The ceremony took place on 17 February 2025 at the company’s shipyard in Tamano, where the vessel was built and will be completed afloat.

In addition to the company’s representatives, officials from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force were also present to announce that the ship was named Bingo and officially launched.

The name of the vessel comes from the former administrative district of Japan – Bingo no Kuni and Bingo Nada Bay. However, many people probably mistakenly believe that it is related to the game of bingo.

Bingo is scheduled to join the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force in March 2026.

The Hibiki ships are being built gradually and have been under construction since the 1990s. The lead ship of the series, JS Hibiki (AOS-5201), was launched in 1990 and commissioned in 1991. The second ship, JS Harima (AOS-5202), was commissioned in 1992, and the third, JS Awaji (AOS-5203), in 2000.

These ships are equipped with special acoustic equipment AN/UQQ-2 Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS), and the relevant information is transmitted to the integrated underwater surveillance system used by the US Navy in cooperation with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Forces.

In addition, the ships operate within the framework of China’s own underwater detection and surveillance system, which requires them to stay at sea for a long time and have specialized equipment.

The Japan’s underwater surveillance system provides round-the-clock continuous monitoring and listening of the underwater space. It consists of approximately 30 passive hydrophone arrays connected to 14 or more shore stations.

Initially developed to protect harbours, these systems were later used to monitor movements through Japan’s inland and adjacent straits. In addition, magnetic measurement systems are located on the seabed of the Tsugaru and Tsushima Straits, and the corresponding coastal stations are installed in Osaka and Sasebo Bays.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the shipbuilding division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki had launched the 10th Mogami frigate.