Japan Wins $10 Bn Race To Build Australia’s Next Frigates

(DW) Australia will upgrade its navy with 11 frigates from Japan, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday (5).

"This is clearly the biggest defense-industry agreement that has ever been struck between Japan and Australia," Marles said.

The 10 billion Australian dollar ($6.5 billion or €5.6 billion) deal saw Mitsubishi Heavy Industries awarded the tender to supply Mogami-class warships, beating out Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

Japan is one of Australia's most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

"This decision was made based on what was the best capability for Australia," Marles said. "We do have a very close strategic alignment with Japan."

The Mogami frigates are advanced warships equipped with a potent array of weapons.

"The Mogami-class frigate is the best frigate for Australia," Marles said.

"It is a next-generation vessel. It is stealthy. It has 32 vertical launch cells capable of launching long-range missiles."