New mine countermeasures vessel enters service in Japan
The JS Nomi at its naming ceremony. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Government of Japan)
The new vessel, JS Nomi, is the fourth countermeasures vessels in the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's Awaji class, and a fifth and sixth have been costed.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) has commissioned the fourth of its Awaji-class mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels in Yokohama City.
Built as an improved variant of the three-vessel Hirashima-class which entered service with the JMSDF in 2008, 2009 and 2010, the Awaji-class will actually replace the ageing Yaeyama-class minesweepers built in the early 1990s.
Of the six Yaeyama-class vessels that were planned, only three were ever made, and all those have now been retired, leaving a considerable competence gap in the defences of the JMSDF, and prompting the building of the Awaji class.
The Awaji class
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
![RTX Raytheon advances with the development of new Barracuda mine neutraliser]()
RTX Raytheon advances with the development of new Barracuda mine neutraliser
The new Barracuda version has been engineered to perform enhanced subsea and seabed warfare missions.
-
![Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear]()
Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.
-
![US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes]()
US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes
The US Navy (USN) is currently reassessing its acquisition efforts and seeking ways to reduce the multiple delays across the shipbuilding initiatives.
