IODS-2024
Hanwha - 4300 frigate (Evolved Daegu or Chungnam?)
Mitsubishi - the ‘Upgraded Mogami’ (new FFM)
Both with 32 VLS
x.com
Japanese builder MHI redesignates the Mogami FFG successor as "Upgraded Mogami", seemingly positioning the design for Australian contract.
www.navalnews.com
It's interesting to see what Hanwa is putting out. That's the first public image of a 32 VLS Korean FFX derivitive frigate,and they picked the Australian forum to do it in. It looks to be a Chungnam, slightly stretched, so again an evolution rather than a new design. I assume this will become their FFX IV or V in due course.
My money is still on the "upgraded Mogami" (the Japanese obviously are not spending money on branding) for Sea3000 as it is further along in detailed design, but the Koreans are not going to go out lying down. Also throwing in accelerated production is a further "kitchen sink" approach to their tender response.
Regardless it does highlight that both the Korean and Japanese frigate platforms are moving decisively to compact multirole ASW and AAW formats, rather than just ASW with basic point defence.
Did anybody notice the alternative "foreign customer" mast option offered for the Mogami? Given we are the only serious foriegn contender, is this for us? I would have thought the unicorn coms tower was actually one of the better parts of the Mogami and something we would actually want.
The other factor of note with the Mogami, is the effort to accomodate Australian choice weapons, in particular NSM, seeminly irrespective of the Sea3000 tender. The article indicates that Japan intends to integrate NSM into its own combat system, for its own use. Given they have their own indigenous anti ship strike missile (Type 17), I find this surprising. Maybe it gives them an alternate supply from a future regional manufacturer (assuming we build a production line).
This speaks to a growing trend for missile flexibility. In a hot war world, missile availability becomes scarce. A mitigation is to be able to take any missile, not just your preferred. The PAC3 trials in the Mk41/Aegis system is another recent example.
With this in mind, it will be interesting to see if we look to use this flexibility with Sea3000. Lets say we take the ugraded Mogami, integrated for both NSM and Type 17.