Jack-Of-All-Trades : Japan's Mogami-Class Multi-Mission Frigate

JS Kumano ( FFM-2 ) launched 19th Nov 2020.
 Photo : JMSDF

The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force ( JMSDF ) had launched a new class of warship known as the Multi-Mission Frigate ( FFM ) on 19th Nov 2020. Due to some technical mishap during the construction of the lead ship, it was the second-in-class JS Kumano ( くまの ) that was launched first. After a three month delay, the lead ship had finally been launched on 3rd Mar 2021 and was named the JS Mogami ( もがみ ).

These frigates are meant to be compact, stealthy, highly automated to reduce crew requirements and are meant to be scalable for the possibility of export. Their design is a departure from the large destroyers that the JMSDF used to favour and reflects the changing regional security threats and demographic challenges that Japan is facing. A total of 22 frigates have been planned. 

Destroyer Exclusivity No More

The Japanese archipelago is made up of 6852 islands and stretches for more than 3000km from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Philippine Sea. It has a coastline that is 29751km long and an exclusive economic zone of 4470000km2. Due to the vastness of the maritime territory it has to cover, the JMSDF has always required ships with very long range and high endurance. Destroyers have therefore formed the backbone of the JMSDF surface fleet for many decades. Its major combatants are always classified as a destroyer of sorts, helicopter-carrying destroyer ( DDH ), guided missile destroyer ( DDG ), general purpose destroyer ( DD ) and destroyer escort ( DE ). In fact, the JMSDF never had a frigate in its fleet apart from the 18 Kusu-class patrol frigates ( ex-US WWII Tacoma-class ) which it briefly commissioned between 1953 and 1972.

So it might seem like a surprise when after a lapse of almost five decades the JMSDF announced that its next generation warship would be a frigate. However, given the current maritime security situation with the militarization of the South China Sea, a nuclear-armed North Korea and multiple territorial disputes with neighbours including China, Taiwan, South Korea and Russia, it is clear that the JMSDF needs to build up its fleet to meet these challenges, and to do so rapidly and in an affordable manner. By virtue of its smaller size and less sophisticated weapon and sensor systems, a frigate is a lot cheaper to procure and maintain than a destroyer. Frigates also have a smaller complement, an important factor to consider given Japan's declining population and a younger generation unwilling to join the ranks of the JMSDF. 

30FFM

The concept of a high speed multi-mission frigate that is capable of anti-submarine and mine warfare for the JMSDF was first raised in 2005 when the Maritime Staff Office engaged the Japan Association of Defense Industry on a feasibility study based on a vessel similar to the Littoral Combat Ship ( LCS ) of the US Navy. Then the emphasis was on speed and cost. However, the Japanese would soon discover that the cost of building such a ship was prohibitive, even when the specifications were brought down, and the idea was shelved.

It wasn't until late 2013 that saw the frigate being mentioned again, this time in the Defense Guidelines and the H26 Mid Term Defence Plans where the Ministry of Defense wanted to increase the number of escort ships from 47 to 54. The following year, the Japanese government under then Prime minister Abe Shinzo would also end the total ban on arms export and the frigate seemed viable again, perhaps with the help from a potential export market and lowered costs due to maturing technologies. By 2015, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ( MHI ) had unveiled its proposal, the 30FF, which it had developed using its own funds.

MHI's 30FFM Conceptual Image, annotated

The frigate was originally referred to as the 30FFM as it was promulgated in the defense budget of 2018, the 30th year of the Heisei era. FF is the hull classification for frigate and the M indicates its multi-mission capability but could also refer to the mine laying and mine hunting capabilities of this unique warship. Mine warfare is a highly specialised part of naval warfare and it is usually undertaken by specialised vessels like mine layers, mine sweepers and mine hunters. The conventional duty of a general purpose frigate is to escort other high value vessels like fleet replenishment ships and amphibious landing platforms and to conduct anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare but rarely ever to mine hunt or lay mines. In the FFM the JMSDF intends to create a work horse that is capable of a little of everything, including dealing with mines.

The 30FFM frigates are also frequently referred to as the 3900ton-class escort vessel ( 3900トン型護衛艦 ) as the design called for a ship with a standard displacement of 3900 tons. They are meant to expand the fleet and at the same time replace some of the older destroyers of the Asagiri-class ( 8 in active service ) and the Abukuma-class destroyer escort ( 6 in active service ). 

Each of these frigates will cost 50 billion yen or about US$460 million.

FFM-2 JS Kumano being fitted out at Mitsui's
Tamano yard 9th mar 2021. Photo : @DE224_cookie

30FFM Specifications

Standard Displacement : 3900 tons

Full Load Displacement : 5500 tons

Length : 133m

Beam : 16.3m

Propulsion : CODAG

1 x Rolls Royce MT-30 Gas Turbine

2 x MAN 12V28/33D STC Diesel Engine

2 x variable-pitch propellers

Maximum Speed : Over 30 knots

Power : 70000hp

Complement : 90

Armament :

1 x BAE Systems 62 calibre 5 inch ( 127mm ) Mk 45 Mod 4 gun system

2 x Japan Steel Works RWS with 12.7mm machine gun

1 x Raytheon SeaRAM ship defense system

2 x quadruple canisters for a total of 8 MHI Type 17 anti-ship missiles ( SSM-2 )

2 x HOS-303 triple launchers for 324mm torpedoes

1 x MHI 16-cell Mk 41 VLS ( fitted for but not with )

Mine Warfare :

Simplified Mine Laying Equipment

1 x Unmanned Surface Vehicle ( USV ) with Expendable Mine Disposal System ( EMD )

1 x Unmanned Underwater Vehicle ( UUV ) MHI OZZ-5

C4I : OYQ-1 Combat Management System ( Link 22 compatible )

Sensors : Mitsubishi Electric OPY-2 X-Band multi-function AESA radar

               Mitsubishi Electric OAX-3 Electro-optical / Infra-red sensor system 

               NEC OQQ-25 ship mounted sonar system comprising VDS + TASS

               Hitachi OQQ-11 mine-detecting sonar 

Electronic Warfare : NOLQ-3E electronic warfare system

                                 4 x Mk 137 Decoy launchers

Hangar for 1 x SH-60K Helicopter 

Updated : FFM-1 and FFM-2 ship crests here. Launch of FFM-3 here

JS Mogami being launched on 3rd Mar 2021

The official JMSDF video above on the launching and naming ceremony of the JS Mogami at MHI's Nagasaki yard on 3rd March 2021. 0:22 Kimigayo national anthem 0:48 Naming 0:55 Silver ship launching axe 1:06 cord cutting 1:07 Warship March 1:15 blessing horn

Sporting clean lines and flush surfaces.
The stealthy JS Kumano shortly after launch.
Photo : Hunini via Wikicommons.

Profile view of the sleek and long JS Kumano
shortly after being launched on 19th Nov 2020.
Photo : Hunini via Wikicommons

JS Kumano mid-ship starboard view with
hatches possibly for torpedo launcher.
Photo : Hunini via Wikicommons

JS Kumano superstructure.
Photo : Hunini via Wikicommons

JS Kumano stern and hangar.
Photo : Hunini via Wikicommons

Unique Features

The Mogami-class frigate is radically different from what we would normally expect of a typical JMSDF surface combatant, big powerful ships with towering superstructures and masts full of radar and electronic warfare antenna, with an equally huge complement. 

It is instead relatively smaller, stealthier, highly automated, not as well armed but still very capable, has an advanced combat management system and sensor suite and is intended to be multi-mission capable, including mine warfare.

The flat panels of the OPY-2 AESA multi-function radar
on the tetrahedral mast proper of JS Kumano shortly after
being launched. Photo : Hunini via Wikicommons

Its design has incorporated the latest in stealth technology to drastically reduce the radar cross-section ( RCS ) of the ship. The sides of the frigate are smooth and flush and ship structures are angled to deflect radar waves. The most prominent feature is the single integrated mast combining the ship's radar with its electronic warfare system. The four flat panels of the multi-function OPY-2 radar are mounted on the sides of tetrahedral mast proper, with a tube-like NORA-50 composite communications antennae atop, completely clutter-free. MHI had also indicated that it applied some of the stealth technology from its X-2 experimental fighter on the frigates, presumably radar-absorbent coatings or paint. Simply put, the Mogami-class frigate is probably the stealthiest ship in the JMSDF inventory to date.

FFM-2 JS Kumano's integrated mast being fitted at Mitsui's
Tamano yard 16th Feb 2021. Photo : mineo@youmaydream5

JS Kumano at Mitsui E&S Tamano yard 16th Feb 2021.
Photo : mineo@youmaydream5

A high degree of automation allows the Mogami-class frigate to be operated by a crew of just 90 personnel, a drastic reduction from its predecessor the Asagiri-class destroyer which has a complement of 220. This is an extremely important adaptation as the JSDF as a whole had repeated failed to achieve its recruitment targets since 2014, with the JMSDF fairing the worse among the three services. Declining birth rates and a new generation of youths who cannot live without their always connected smart phones would pose insurmountable challenges. Possibly to reduce the impact of ship deployments on the personal lives of the crew, JMSDF plans to rotate four teams of crew for every three frigates.    

The frigate also has an advanced integrated combat information centre ( CIC ) with a unique circular arrangement and open-bridge concept. It features 18 multi-function displays and 2 tactical tables and overhead screens that can project 360 degree augmented reality views of the ship with the assistance of sensor fusion technology. This will help to increase the situation awareness level of the CIC team.

Although well equipped for anti-surface warfare ( ASuW ) with the new Type-17 AShM and for anti-submarine warfare ( ASW ) with its combination of variable depth sonar, towed array sonar, torpedoes and ASW helicopter, the most unique capability of this frigate is its ability to conduct mine warfare. 

The frigate has the ability to lay sea mines. It can also deploy and retrieve sonar equipped unmanned surface and underwater drones such as the OZZ-5 UUV to hunt and neutralise sea mines from a docking station at its stern. Its USV can also launch the expendable mine disposal system ( EMD ) which are controlled via optical fiber cable for mine hunting and destruction. This video shows how the EMD works. You can also watch it below.

Trainer EMD with dummy warhead in classic
golden-yellow ( 山吹色 yamabuki-iro ) colour
displayed onboard MSO-304 JS Awaji.
Live ordnance would be painted black. 
Image : Wikipedia

          

This mine warfare capability is mostly unheard of in frigates of any navy but it comes at a crucial time when the JMSDF is scaling down its mine countermeasures fleet. So the frigates can pick up the slack left by a dwindling MCM fleet to ensure that the waterways are mine free especially during amphibious operations in the defense of Japan's outer island chains.

Stern of JS Mogami seen just before launch.
The larger opening leads to the USV / UUV docking station.
The smaller opening is for VDS / TASS deployment.
Photo @T_AH19 via twitter

Currently, the frigate's weakness is in its air defense capabilities has it can only rely on the extremely short range SeaRAM close-in weapon system for self-protection against aerial threats. This may change once the 16-cell Mk 41 vertical launch system ( VLS ) is installed. The versatile VLS can pack the longer range RIM-162 ESSM four to a cell or it could accommodate the navalised version of the Type 3 medium-range surface-to-air missile. This will enable it to provide area air defense in an escort mission.

In addition, the Type 7 vertical launch anti-submarine rocket can also be launched from the VLS, boosting the frigate's kill capabilities against submarines. The VL ASROC is basically torpedo with a rocket delivery system that has a reach of 30km.

Celebrating the launch of FFM-2
Image : @gintokii via twitter

Work Horse

With such a multitude of capabilities, the Mogami-class frigates are expected to be involved in the defense of Japan's home waters against surface and underwater threats. They augment the mine laying and mine hunting capabilities of JMSDF's organic mine-countermeasures fleet. They will also be deployed in anti-piracy operations overseas so that larger vessels like destroyers can be left to deal with bigger threats nearer to home, such as the Chinese, Russian and North Korean navies.

They mirror similar developments in other navies worldwide to have multi-mission capabilities built into a single hull and are frequently compared with the Littoral Combat Ship of the USN. The Republic of Singapore Navy's yet to be revealed Multi-Role Combat Vessel will probably share many similarities with the Mogami-class frigate, especially in mine warfare capabilities and emphasis on utilising remotely controlled vehicles.

There are also plans to export these vessels to lower the overall procurement costs. Indonesia is said to be interested in buying up to 8 frigates, with the first four being built in Japan and the remainder constructed in Indonesia. If this comes to fruition it will be Japan's first major arms export since WWII.

 

JS Mogami just after launch.
Photo : JMSDF

JS Mogami at MHI Nagasaki yard 4th Mar 2021.
Photo : @xkVjYrGfhYAOspG via twitter

JS Mogami at MHI Nagasaki yard 4th Mar 2021.
Photo : @xkVjYrGfhYAOspG via twitter

                           

The first-in-class FFM-1 JS Mogami is named after the Mogami River* ( 最上川 ) in Yamagata Prefecture. It is the third vessel to bear that name, the first being the Imperial Japanese Navy's heavy cruiser IJN Mogami and the second was the destroyer escort JDS Mogami ( DE-212 ) of the JMSDF. 

A mishap during the installation of the Rolls Royce MT-30 gas turbine delayed the launch of the lead ship, resulting in the second ship of the series, FFM-2 JS Kumano, being launched first. JS Kumano is named after the Kumano River ( 熊野川 ) in the mountainous Kii Peninsula of Kansai. Both are expected to be commissioned in March 2022.

The naming of the first two ships based on major Japanese rivers suggests that the other twenty might likely have river-based names such as Natori ( 名取 ), Tenryu ( 天竜 ), Kinu ( 鬼怒 ), Mikuma ( 三隈 ), Kiso ( 木曽 ), Tone ( 利根 ), Ishikari ( 石狩 ) and the likes. It follows the JMSDF tradition of naming its destroyers and major surface combatants after natural phenomena, meteorological phenomena, mountains, rivers and landmarks. 

 

View of Mount Gassan from Mogami River.
Ukiyo-e by Utagawa Hiroshige. Wikipedia

* With a total length of 229km the scenic Mogami River is one of the longest and fastest flowing rivers in Japan. It was historically important as a conduit to transport goods from the inland areas of Dewanokuni (出羽国), modern day Yamagata and Akita, to the coastal areas for export. 

The Mogami River was also featured in the hugely successful 1983 NHK serial television drama Oshin ( おしん ), in a snowy winter scene where the protagonist, a 7 year old girl from a poor peasant family, was tearfully separated from her parents and sent by raft down river to Sakata City to work as a babysitter for a timber merchant's family. Mogami River 0:14 - 0:20 in trailer for the 2012 movie adaptation.

    

Multi-Role Combat Vessel : Singapore's Next Generation Surface Combatant



Source : MINDEF

In the good old days not too long ago, naval vessels were designed, constructed and deployed for specific tasks. A minelayer would do pretty nothing else but lay mines, a corvette would be primarily for escort duties while frigates were responsible for anti-submarine operations and so on and so forth. It was not uncommon for a navy to own multiple asset types corresponding to the various aspects of naval warfare.

However, the increasing complexity of modern day naval operations coupled with escalating procurement costs and shrinking defense budgets have paved the way for the emergence of the multi-role vessel, a multi-tasking ship that can take on various missions on demand.

For the Republic of Singapore Navy ( RSN ), this trend has already been demonstrated in its Formidable-Class stealth frigates which were equipped for anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare. The newer Independence-Class littoral mission vessels ( LMV ) took the multi-role concept even further with their modular mission configurable designs and the innate ability to deploy unmanned systems.

With its long serving Victory-Class missile corvettes ( MCV ) close to their end-of-life, the RSN had announced that they will be replaced by a new vessel type known as the Multi-Role Combat Vessel ( MRCV ) by the year 2030. Little had been revealed from the official channels apart from the fact that the MRCV can be mission configured for anything from high-end warfare to security operations and even humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It will be a mothership of sorts for an entire range of airborne, surface and underwater unmanned systems. Its design takes into consideration the short innovation cycles in unmanned systems and it will be able to take on new capabilities easily as new technology emerges. MINDEF's infographic illustration of the MRCV seem to suggest a frigate-like vessel with stealth features equipped with vertical-launch system and a helicopter deck.

At the recently concluded IMDEX Asia 2019, at least two possible MRCV candidates have emerged, the Crossover 131 Combatant from Damen Shipyards Group and the Vanguard 130 from ST Engineering. These designs offer a first glimpse of how the future MCV replacements might look like and if I read the lines correctly, they scream "destroyers".







Vanguard 130

In conjunction with IMDEX 2019 Singapore's ST Engineering unveiled a new family of surface combatants known as the Vanguard series comprising of five different classes that share common hull forms. From the company brochures : The design concept centers on a single design that can be applied across multiple classes with modular capabilities. It also allows commonalities such as scalable hull forms, machinery and equipment, system and layout designs, standards for outfitting and installation, to be applied across the various vessel classes which can translate to higher cost efficiencies.

Ships from the Vanguard series can be configured as the Vanguard 80 Patrol Vessel, the Vanguard 95 Naval Research and Support Vessel, the Vanguard 105 Offshore Patrol Vessel, the Vanguard 120 Frigate and finally the Vanguard 130 Multi-role Combatant.

Under this multi-role capability profile, the Vanguard series aims to offer highly operable platforms in high states for the stowage and operation of unmanned systems and vehicles for enhanced reach and visibility.

A quick look at the five members of the Vanguard series would tell you it's the Vanguard 130 Multi-role Combatant, the biggest and most capable ship in the series that fits the MRCV description most. At 130 meters it will already be significantly larger than the Formidable-class frigate and it has to be in order to accommodate all those unmanned systems and perhaps even landing crafts and when required, additional personnel such as special forces. A company spokesman mentioned in an interview by Naval News that the Vanguard 130 will be in the 5000 ton range.

Source : ST engineering

 

The Vanguard series. Source : ST engineering

The Damen Crossover 131 Combatant. Source : Damen

Crossover 131 Combatant

The Crossover series of multi-role vessels has been offered by Damen Shipyards Group since 2014. They are very similar in concept with the Vanguard series focusing on producing highly customizable multi-mission capable naval vessels that can at the same time be self-sustaining, self-reliant, and has a high degree of survivability even in high threat environments. Damen claims that its experience in the clever application of a mix of commercial and naval standards and specifications results in the required naval quality and systems characteristics in its end products but yet support costs can be kept low through competitive pricing and the use of commercial off-the-shelf solutions whenever possible.

The entire family comprises of the Crossover 115 Security, the Crossover 123 Fast Security, the Crossover 131 Logistic, the Crossover 131 Amphibious, the Crossover 131 Combatant and the Crossover 139 Fast Combatant. The version that Damen intended to offer for the MRCA competition is the Crossover 131 Combatant. It has a length of 131 meters, a displacement of 5300 tons, a maximum speed of 28 knots, a compliment of between 108 -125 men and the capability to accommodate an additional 128 personnel.

MRCV Likely Key Features

From bits and pieces of information and images here and there, we can now have some idea of how the MRCV might end up resembling. These are of course speculative at best. The project is not even at the RFI stage yet.

5000 ton class
Conventional hull form with helicopter deck for a medium-lift helicopter
Mission deck / well deck for launching landing crafts
Stealth features
Advanced sensor suites - integrated mast with phase array radar, electro-optical sensors
Advanced ship management systems
Advanced weapons suites - ASuW, ASW, AAW
High efficiency in unmanned systems deployment
Multi-mission capable with swappable modules

What kinds of unmanned vehicles are likely to be deployed from the MRCV? ST Engineering's stable of UUV and USV will give us some ideas.



The Mercury Autonomous Underwater Vehicle can map the seabed
for mine detection. Source : ST Engineering



Venus Unmanned Surface Vehicle. Source : ST Engineering

SAAB Skeldar V-200 VTOL UAV. Source : SAAB

Boeing / Insitu Scaneagle UAV which is already equipping the Victory-class MCV.
Source : Boeing

MRCV or DDG

The mission capabilities and dimensions of both the Vanguard 130 and the Crossover 131 Combatant do make them fit the description of a destroyer closer than those of a frigate. In reality though it can be near impossible to distinguish a small destroyer from a large frigate based on features alone.

Calling the next generation Victory-class replacement the Multi-Role Combat Vessel is an accurate functional description and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It could however hide the fact that the RSN is quietly upgrading its capabilities in a huge way. This is not at all surprising given the fact that Singapore's neighbours have been expanding their naval fleets in an even bigger manner. For example Indonesia has commissioned two Sigma 10514 stealth frigates within the past 5 years with four more planned. It has also recently placed an order for three more Nagapasa-class submarines from South Korea, on top of the first three that has been delivered or launched. The Malaysian Navy meanwhile will be receiving their Littoral Combat Ships and their Littoral Mission Ships beginning from 2019.

There exists many instances of other navies misrepresenting ship classes to downplay the true capabilities. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force classifying the Izumo-class helicopter carrier a helicopter destroyer ( DDH ) is a prime example. Perhaps Singapore is just trying not to fuel the flames of a regional naval arms race further.

And why might the RSN need destroyers? Well to protect the future Joint Multi-Mission Ship, of course. Aircraft / helicopter carriers never operate alone, and I am certain the MRCV will have an important role in a carrier battle group. Tell me I am wrong.