With the Mogami listed as a potential suitor for the General Purpose frigate, I thought I might add that some context that may be of interest to the group.
As a massive Formula One nut, my mind is cast back to 2015 when Honda came back to supply engines to McLaren. McLaren gave some very strict guidelines that the engine had to be “size zero” which was in effect to suit the McLarens chassis and aero package. This was disastrous for both parties for their relationship between 2015-17. Formula One engines are some of the most advanced in the world, and I suspect that there are some similarities to consider in the context of naval shipbuilding. The fundamental issue was Japanese corporate culture.
Based on past and current projects, I get the impression that Australia is quite a demanding customer - they are the McLaren. Not only do we want speed of delivery and therefore capability, we also want that capability to be heavily Australianised (presumably will apply for the GP frigate). If that is the case, there could be a significant risk of selecting Mogami class and we are significantly worse off.
Red Bull Racing ultimately embraced Honda in 2018 and have enjoyed the fruits of McLaren/Hondas labour
but there was a significant lag - 3 years in effect.
Whether it’s as simple as Australia moderating its expectations and being less demanding, or being demanding and accepting a possible risk of unacceptable delays will be interesting
Here’s hoping the Japanese naval shipbuilding industry doesn’t have the same issues as Honda!
some food for thought -
The full story of how McLaren steered Honda towards failure - The Race.