On April 18, Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced that Australian Government and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries concluded a contract, for the construction of three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for Australia’s General Purpose Frigate (GPF) program.
In August 2025, the Australian government selected MHI’s upgraded Mogami-class frigate (4,800 ton type) as the preferred platform to proceed to the next stage in the selection process for the country’s GPF program. MHI then entered into contract negotiations with the Australian government, and has now concluded an agreement.
Construction will begin at MHI’s Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works in cooperation with the Australian government, the Japanese government, and companies involved in building the GPFs, with the first completed frigate to be handed over by December 2029.
The broad-based participation of Japanese and Australian companies in Australia’s GPF program is expected to strengthen human resource development in science and technology, as well as the foundations of the defense industry, in both countries. Through its Naval Ship & Maritime Systems business, MHI is contributing to the realization of safe and secure world.
According to the Australian Department of Defence, the GPF program will build a total of 11 ships to replace six existing Anzac-class frigates, which were delivered between 1993 and 2003 and are currently being decommissioned due to aging. Apart from three ships built by Japanese shipyards, the remaining eight will be built by shipyards under the Australian defense shipbuilding group Austal, with construction expected to begin in 2030.
Data shows that the upgraded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mogami-class frigate is a modern multi-mission warship with anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship strike, and area air defense capabilities. Australia plans to deploy it in the Indo-Pacific region.