On June 23, Japan's fifth 30FFM escort ship was launched at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki Shipyard and was named FFAM-5 Yazuka. The first four are the FGM-1 "Top", the FFM-2 "Kumano", the FFM-3 "Nozo" and the FFM-4 "Mikuma". However, the name "Yakuza", which was inherited from the Light Patrol of World War II, is really difficult to say, so we might as well call it "Earthworm".
What a "yakuza", I call it "earthworm"
From March 3 last year to June 23 this year, for more than a year, five new frigates were launched in succession, with a full load displacement of 5,500 tons, which is unprecedented in the history of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and this is also the biggest impact of this type of frigate. In the past, Japanese-built warships were like "constipation", and only one was launched in a few years, but now the chain around the neck is loose, and it is indeed "smooth".
Now it's much smoother
Judging from the footage of the launch of the Earthworm, there are still 2 frigates under construction in the dock, and there should be 1 more in the Mitsui Heavy Industries Tamano Shipyard, which adds up to the first batch of 8 ships. In the future, Japan is expected to build a total of 22 30FFM frigates, and if exports are added, that's more.
The number of 30FFM built is likely to exceed 22
However, there is a little bit of confusion here. The Earthworm belongs to the Reiwa 2nd Year Plan Ship and will start construction on June 24, 2021, and on the same day at the Nagasaki Shipyard, there will be a Ship 6. According to common sense, the construction progress of ship 6 should be similar to that of the "Earthworm", and it will also be launched, but it cannot be seen at the scene.
There was a ship that started construction on the same day as it
The sixth ship is very strange
Instead, in the dock, there are 2 frigates in the early stages of construction, one of which is supposed to be the No. 7 ship that starts construction this year, and it and the No. 8 ship of the Tamano Shipyard are both "Reiwa 3 year plan ships". That is to say, there is now one less frigate that is about to be launched, and one more frigate that has just started construction, and it is not known whether Japan has concealed the number, or whether there is a problem with the construction of the No. 6 ship, resulting in a great delay in the progress.
Of the 2 ships in the red circle, is one of them the No. 6 ship?
In addition, the first and second ships were one at the Nagasaki Shipyard and the Tamano Shipyard, respectively, and Tamano's second ship, Kumano, was launched first. However, now up to the second batch of FGM-9 and FFM-10, a total of 8 new ships, of which Nagasaki Shipyard got the construction contract for 7 ships, while Tano Shipyard only got 1, that is, the No. 8 ship, which is also too biased.
30FFM frigate
After talking about Japan, let's look at South Korea, the second batch of its "Sejong Dawang" class Aegis ship, the "Zhengzu Dawang", which is about to be launched in July, with a full load displacement from the first batch of 11,000 tons to 11,500 tons, which is the largest of the "Burke" class bastards. The "big king" and the "big king" of the South Korean warship are actually the wild children of "Burke", and I don't know if they are Guangzong Yaozu?
These "kings" were actually Burke's illegitimate sons
Although the displacement of the "Zhengzu Dawang" ship is 500 tons larger than the first three "Sejong Dawang" class, the vertical silos of missiles have been reduced from 128 to 88, and the anti-ship missile launchers have also changed from 16 to 8.
Imaging of the destroyer Using the Great King
However, do not think that its firepower has weakened, in fact, due to the larger size of the K-VLS-II vertical launch unit, the "Zhengzu King" ship can launch supersonic anti-ship missiles, but also intercept ballistic missiles, and "one pit and four bombs" technology has also become the standard, so the combat effectiveness is more powerful, and also changed the first three destroyers stuffed with missiles easy to "martyrdom" problem.
The first 3 Sejong King-class ships were stuffed like they were about to explode into an ammunition depot
Interestingly, the South Korean destroyer has not yet been launched, and the Internet, including the official media, has carried out two waves of speculation, and the treatment can be described as unusual. So abnormal, I don't know if South Korea has special publicity funds? You see Xiaobian is actually quite good at blowing, but there are principles, obedience, South Korea's "business" we do not do.