Australia to buy 11 advanced warships from Japan

Australia will upgrade its navy with 11 Mogami-class frigates built by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Aug 5.

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SYDNEY -

Canberra will pay US$6 billion (S$7.7 billion) over the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates, in what has been billed as one of Japan's biggest defence export deals since World War II.

Australia is in the midst of a major military restructure, bolstering its navy with long-range firepower in an effort to deter China.

It is striving to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next 10 years.

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

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

Mogami-class warships are advanced stealth frigates equipped with a potent array of weapons.

Mr Marles said they would replace Australia's ageing fleet of Anzac-class vessels, with the first Mogami-class ship to be in service by 2030.