Raytheon wins SeaRAM contract for Australia's Improved Mogami frigates

A model of the Improved Mogami class, which has been applied with Royal Australian Navy livery, on display at Indo Pacific 2025. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

Raytheon has been awarded a contract by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to supply the SeaRAM ship self-defence system for Australia's Sea 3000 general-purpose frigate programme.

Under the programme, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) plans to acquire 11 Mogami class-derived warships from MHI.

The contract covers the delivery of SeaRAM launchers, blast test vehicles, and associated technical services to support installation and testing on the first three ships of the class, which are being built in Japan by MHI.

The SeaRAM contract forms part of Australia's effort to recapitalise its surface fleet with a new class of frigates based on the Japanese Improved Mogami design. These vessels will replace the RAN's ageing Anzac-class frigates, which have been in service since the 1990s.

As previously reported by Janes , the Australian variant of the Improved Mogami class will differ from their Japanese counterparts primarily in their main weapons fit, most notably through the integration of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) in place of Japan's Type 12 anti-ship missile.

Other core systems, including sensors and combat systems architecture, are expected to remain broadly aligned between the two variants.

The Improved Mogami class incorporates a 127 mm Mk 45 Mod 4 naval gun, and a 32-cell Mk 41 vertical launching system. It will also feature the Japan-developed OPY-2 X-band multifunction radar and the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) integrated mast.

At approximately 142 m in length and displacing about 4,800 tonnes, the Improved Mogami design is substantially larger than the baseline Mogami class fielded by Japan, providing greater payload capacity and enhanced sensor and weapons integration.