Japan to procure technical support for its Aegis-class destroyer fleet

The US State Department has agreed a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of follow-on technical support for Japan’s Aegis-class destroyer fleet, at an estimated cost of US$150 million.

The sale will include sustainment support and services, Aegis computer software updates, system integration and testing, in-country and on-site engineering support, familiarisation and sustainment. Additional, the deal will involve all necessary emergent support engineering and technical support services, operational support, system overhauls and upgrades, and on-the-job practical operations and maintenance.

The payment will also buy Japan combat systems integration, development, testing, and installation of program patches; adaptation data and annual service agreements; coverage of any technical inquiries, operation, integration and maintenance; field service engineering, problem investigation and solutions to the technical problems arising from post-production; and testing capabilities. US government and contractor technical assistance will form a vital part of the package.

The proposed sale has been based on Japan remaining a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region. It has been seen by Japan as critical to ensuring the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s (JMSDF) Aegis-class destroyer fleet is maintained in the short-to-medium term.

Japan has altered its plans surrounding the Aegis fleet in recent years.

Until November 2022, the JMSDF was scheduled to procure two new 20,000t vessels to update the fleet. It then decided instead to build two new 8,200t vessels, rather than the 20,000t vessels it had previously had in mind. The idea behind the whiplash change was to improve the manoeuvrability of the vessels in the fleet.

In the FY2023 defence budget, the Japanese Ministry of Defense allocated JPY220.8 billion ($1.6 billion) for the destroyers’ design and acquisition costs including engines.

Deliveries of the new vessels have been scheduled to take place between FY2027 and FY2028.

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

Future Destroyers - ASEV (1-2) [Japan]