India to Build Mogami-Class Frigates with Japanese Design Plans in First Major Weapons Transfer
Japan offers defence equipment export plans to India, marking significant shift in bilateral security cooperation
Quick Look
- Japan has offered India design plans for Mogami-class frigates, the first time Tokyo has provided such a major weapons system to New Delhi.
- India plans to build the warships in domestic shipyards using Japanese materials, with each vessel costing approximately US$500 million and equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles and torpedoes.
- The move aligns with India's push to localize defence production and enhance its naval capabilities as a security provider in the Indian Ocean.
AI-generated summary
The move dovetails with New Delhi's drive to localise industrial and defence production. Enhanced naval capabilities will also allow India to become a "security provider" in the Indian Ocean. Japan offered India its Mogami design plans and the option to build the frigates in Indian shipyards using Japanese materials, according to recent reports from local media and defence news outlets. The warships, each costing about US$500 million, will be equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles and torpedoes. It is the first time Japan has offered such a major weapons system to India, signifying a shift towards deeper defence industrial cooperation. Such ties between the two countries are increasing, particularly after Tokyo loosened the reins this month. On April 21, the Japanese cabinet revised the rules restricting exports of defence equipment and technology.
