Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding has launched the second ship of a new class of stealth frigates being built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF).
Once completed, the future JS Kumano will have a length of 132 metres, a full load displacement of 5,500 tonnes, and a speed of 30 knots courtesy of one Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine and two MAN 12V18/33D STC diesel engines. Armament will include surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles.
The future Kumano is the first in the 30FFM-class to be launched into the water as the lead ship is still under construction at the Nagasaki shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
