This week, Australia's government announced its plans to develop the country's next fleet of warships. The initial work will largely be done by a Japanese company.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build Australia's next generation of naval frigates.
That type of vessel is smaller than a battleship, but big enough to carry nearly three dozen launch cells that can deliver Tomahawk Cruise missiles and air defense weapons.
They will replace the ANZAC-class frigates that were built in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Australia's government went on an international shopping trip seeking bids for the new fleet, and the Japanese beat out a competing proposal from Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The deal will ultimately result in 11 naval vessels.
The first three will be built in Japan, with the initial one delivered by 2029, to be ready for duty the following year.
Government officials say the other two should be launched by 2034.
That initial contract is estimated to be about six and a half billion U.S. dollars, although the overall price of the entire deal is still to be determined.
The last eight ships will be built in Western Australia by an Australian company.
This is significant not only because of the upgrade to Australia’s navy, but it also marks the first international deal of this scale for Japan's defense industry.
