Anonymousabout 2 hours ago
Australia and Japan signed contracts on April 18, 2026, to begin delivering 11 upgraded Mogami-class stealth frigates worth A$10 billion (US$6.5 billion), marking Japan's largest defense export since lifting its arms transfer ban in 2014. Three frigates will be built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from 2029, with eight more constructed at the Henderson Defence Precinct in Western Australia, creating an estimated 10,000 jobs and raising fundamental questions about shipyard capacity, surface fleet vulnerability, and the deal's interaction with AUKUS nuclear submarine commitments.