The vessel is named after the Noshiro River (のしろ, Noshiro-gawa) located in Akita Prefecture, Japan. According to the JMSDF “The Noshiro River has supported tens of thousands people since ancient times.” The shipyard will now proceed to the fitting out stage of the frigate, ahead of its delivery and commissioning set for 2022.
The 30FFM will be equipped with a wide variety of weapons and systems as listed below.
BAE Systems Mk.45 mod.4 5-inch naval gun system ×1
Japan Steel Works 12.7mm Remote Weapon System ×2
Mk.41 VLS (fitted for but not with)
Raytheon SeaRAM ×1
MHI Type 17 anti-ship missiles ×8
Mitsubishi Electric OPY-2 multifunction Radar
Mitsubishi Electric OAX-3EO/IR sensors
Hitachi OQQ-11 anti-mine sonar
NEC OQQ-25 anti-submarine sonar (VDS/TASS)
UUV (OZZ-5 by MHI) and USV (unknown type) for mine counter measures
Sea mines for offensive mine warfare
