Japan has begun construction work on the first four of a planned fleet of 12 next-generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF). Equipped with state-of-the-art systems, the new ships will not only allow Tokyo to step up surveillance and monitoring of its waters, but also let it do so with far smaller crews, taking into account the service's manpower issues.
The Defense Ministry revealed in a recent press publication that the Japan Marine United Corp. held a keel-laying ceremony in February for the service’s first four ships of the type in Yokohama after ¥35.7 billion ($249 million) was allocated in fiscal 2023, amounting to around ¥9 billion per ship.
The first two OPVs are scheduled to enter the water in November while the other two will do so next March. All four are slated for delivery to the MSDF in March 2027.
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