The Australian Department of Defence confirmed on August 5th that the SEA 3000 frigate procurement project has been awarded to an upgraded version of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ top-of-the-line frigate. This marks a significant milestone as it is Japan’s first large-scale export of military equipment since the end of World War II.
The SEA 3000 frigate procurement project is part of Australia’s Navy’s second-level combat ship program, with four countries participating in the bidding process: Japan’s upgraded top-of-the-line version, Germany’s MEKO A-200, Spain’s ALFA 3000, and South Korea’s Daegu-class. In the end, Germany and Japan were the finalists, with Germany initially being the favorite but ultimately losing the opportunity. The upgraded top-of-the-line frigate stood out due to its superior interoperability, high level of automation, stealth capabilities, impressive anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and the promise of fast delivery.
The winning bid is the upgraded version of the top-of-the-line frigate, which, like the original top-of-the-line model, is developed and built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The top-of-the-line design concept focuses on being small yet high performance, with multi-functional combat capabilities and mine countermeasure capabilities, allowing for flexible utilization in tasks such as air defense, anti-ship warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and mine clearance. Although Mitsubishi Heavy Industries does not have extensive experience in military exports, the top-of-the-line frigate is technologically competitive at an overall level.
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