Launch of Natori, the 9th Mogami-class frigate. MHI picture.
The new Mogami-class of frigates is intended for surveillance missions in waters surrounding the Japanese archipelago, including the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
Kosuke Takahashi 24 Jun 2024
Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has launched the latest frigate, the ninth of a planned fleet of 12 Mogami-class multirole frigates, for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Named Natori, the 133 meter-long vessel (pennant number FFM-9) entered the water during a ceremony held on June 24 at the company’s Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Nagasaki Prefecture.
The vessel is named after the Natori River (名取川, Natori-gawa) which flows through the middle of Miyagi Prefecture in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. All ships of the class are named after famous rivers in Japan. The shipyard will now proceed to the fitting out stage of the frigate, ahead of its delivery and commissioning set for by the end of fiscal year 2025, according to the JMSDF.
This is the second Japanese ship to bear the name Natori, following the third Nagara-class light cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
As neighboring China expands the size and capabilities of its naval forces, Japan plans to defend its southwestern Nansei island chain, which spans about 1,200 km from Kagoshima to Okinawa, stretching southwest toward Taiwan by increasing surveillance missions in Japanese coastal waters. The chain includes the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.
Equipped with compact hulls, JS Natori is being built for about 51.4 billion yen ($322 million) under a contract awarded in March 2023, according to the JMSDF. As with the other ships of the class, the 3,900-tonne vessel will have a crew complement of about 90, a beam of 16.3 m, and a hull draught of 9 m.
Powered by a combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion system featuring two MAN 12V28/33D STC diesel engines and one Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine, the Mogami-class is capable of attaining a top speed of more than 30 knots. The Mogami-class marks the first instalment of a CODAG system on any JMSDF ship.
The FFM will be equipped with a wide variety of weapons and systems as listed below.
- BAE Systems 5-inch (127-mm) 62-caliber Mk 45 Mod 4 naval gun system ×1
- Japan Steel Works 12.7mm Remote Weapon System ×2
- Mk.41 VLS (16 cells)
- Raytheon SeaRAM ×1
- MHI Type 17 (SSM-2) anti-ship missiles ×8
- Mitsubishi Electric OPY-2 multifunction Radar
- Mitsubishi Electric OAX-3EO/IR sensors
- Hitachi OQQ-11 anti-mine sonar
- NEC OQQ-25 anti-submarine sonar (VDS/TASS)
- UUV (OZZ-5 by MHI) and USV (by JMU Defense Systems) for mine countermeasures
- Sea mines for offensive mine warfare
New FFM program
The JMSDF plans to build a total of 12 Mogami-class frigates until the fiscal year 2023, with plans to acquire a new class of 12 FFMs from 2024 until 2028. The new frigates will essentially be improved Mogami-class ships that are set to be built to the design proposed by MHI. Naval News previously reported on the “New FFM” at this link.