The JS Kumano is the
second ship in the class, but it was the first to be delivered to the JMSDF,
ahead of its lead ship, the future JS Mogami (FFM-1), which has been
rescheduled to be delivered and commissioned with the JMSDF by April 2022.
It was assigned to the
JMSDF's Mine Warfare Force, based at Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa.
The new Mogami-class
frigates were designed with efficiency and automation in mind, with a more
compact design for lower construction costs and a stealthy hull and
superstructure design for reduced cross-section against radar detection.
It is 132.5 meters
long, 16.3 meters wide, and has a crew of 90 officers and sailors.
The ship can reach
speeds of more than 30 knots and is propelled by a Combined Diesel and Gas
(CODAG) propulsion configuration consisting of two MAN 12V28/33D STC diesel
engines and a Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine engine.
It is armed with two
Japan Steel Works RCWS for 12.7mm machine guns, a BAE Systems Mk.45 Mod 4 127mm
naval gun, a 16-cell Mk. 41 VLS, an 11-cell Raytheon SeaRAM CIWS, and two
quadruple MHI Type 17 anti-ship missile launchers.
The Mogami-class
destroyer escorts will be used to replace the JMSDF's ageing fleet of
Abukuma-class destroyer escorts, which have been in service since the late
1980s.
