Still way more capable than an Armidale patrol boat.
If someone, something thing else could crew some of the OPV's. Then perhaps. It would certainly be worth while looking at some of the low crew ships that are out there.
The Mogami for example, crew of 90 - 5" gun, seaRAM (Phalanx?), 16 x Mk41, torpedos and 8 x antiship missiles - The Japanese were able to make a ship with less than half the crew, have half the Mk41 (but still 5", same 8 antiship, etc). 30+kt performance (MT30!)
IMO that would seem to be a way more capable ship than a OPV90 or similar small corvette. or up gunned OPV.
Japan is planning to build 22 of them.
Trade 6 Afurua's for 3 Mogami's?
Or trade 2 Anzac/Hunters for 4 Mogami?
Or trade 1 DDG for 3 Mogami?
Or just presume that by the time 2040 comes around, the RAN has grown, we have been at war, ships have been lost or disposed of. But is that sort of ship survivable in the 2040+. Does that size fleet get the RAN in any particularly more useful position?
While the
Mogami-class frigate/compact destroyer certainly looks "interesting", in terms of vessel size and displacement, the closest analogue in current RAN service would be the
ANZAC-class frigate, albeit with a less full load displacement. To put a little cost perspective, IIRC the approximate cost per
Arafura-class OPV is AUD$300 mil. while the cost was estimated back in 2018 to be approx ¥50 bil. per vessel for eight vessels built in pairs. At current conversion rates and not adjusting for inflation of changes in the currency purchasing power, that works out to over AUD$626 mil. per vessel.
So in a nutshell, we are talking about a vessel that is over twice the displacement of a RAN OPV, has over twice the crew, is over 50% longer with a similar beam, and costs more than twice as much. Also, the expected role for the JMSDF is quite different than what the RAN currently plans to use the OPV's for.
Honestly, if the RAN had not opted to go for as comprehensive sensor, electronics and CMS as they seemed to for the OPV's, they would likely have cost considerably less than AUD$300 mil. per vessel. To my mind, there is potential value in having better sensors, electronics and CMS in the OPV's even though they are really not combatants. Having patrol vessels with such systems and capabilities provides more berths that can be filled training and qualifying more operators, technicians, and officers while also enabling the RAN to carry out needed constabulary missions stopping EEZ violations and/or SIEV's.