JS Noshiro
Japanese Mogami-class frigate
JS Noshiro (FFM-3) is the third ship of the Mogami-class frigates of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). She was named after the Noshiro River and shares her name with a World War II light cruiser Noshiro and Cold War destroyer escort Noshiro.
01Development and design
In 2015 the Japanese defense budget allocated funds to study the construction of a new "compact-type hull destroyer with additional multi-functional capabilities" as well as a new radar system for the destroyer. In the same year Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) unveiled the frigate's first concept model (30FF) which they have been developing with their own funds.
The 30DX design has an overall length of 133 metres (436 ft 4 in), breadth of 16 metres (52 ft 6 in), a standard displacement of 3,900 tons with a full load displacement of about 5,500 tons, and a maximum speed of over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). Weapons include a Mk 45 gun, two remote weapon stations above the bridge, 16 Mk 41 VLS at the bow, eight anti-ship missiles, one SeaRAM, an SH-60L helicopter, torpedoes, and decoy launchers. It can also deploy and recover unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), unmanned surface vessels (USVs), and sea mines from the rear ramp beneath the helideck. It is also expected to use a naval version of the Type 03 Chū-SAM.
02Construction and career
Noshiro was laid down on 15 July 2020 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki and launched on 22 June 2021. She was commissioned on 15 December 2022.
On 12 February 2025, the Noshiro sailed to Australia for joint military drills with Australia with a port call in the Philippines in an effort to demonstrate the ship to the Royal Australian Navy.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “JS Noshiro”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- JS Noshiro (FFM-3)-01.jpg by 海上自衛隊, CC BY 4.0
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