According to Japan's Jiji news agency, the destroyer Haguro of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)
was handed over on March 19 and officially put into operation
It is also the country's eighth Aegis destroyer
Equipped with the latest Aegis combat system
JS Haguro is expected to be a very good addition to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The JS Haguro (DDG-180) is the second Maya class guided missile destroyer, following the lead ship JS Maya (DDG-179).
The ship was laid down in January 2018, launched in July 2019, and commissioned in March 2021
The Maya class was manufactured by Japan Marine United Corporation
a Japanese shipbuilding marine engineering and Service Company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan
Each one costs about 1.5 billion US dollars
The new Japanese destroyer is a further developed version of the Atago class, a guided missile destroyer built between 2004 and 2008
JS Haguro has a full load displacement of 10,250 long tons
a length of 169.9 m (557 ft 5 in), a beam of 22.2 m (72 ft 10 in), and a draft of 6.4 m (42 ft 8 in)
Compared to the Atago class, Haguro possesses a larger hull
with all the proven signature-reducing features including the sides of the deck and smoke funnels
Overall, the ship has a low profile, making her a small target on the horizon
Combining these qualities with modern combat systems
the ship has many of the essential survivability capabilities needed by modern generations of warships
Haguro is equipped with a hybrid-electric propulsion system: Combined Gas turbine-eLectric And Gas turbine
This system consists of 4 x LM2500-30 series gas turbines driving 2 x 5-bladed propeller shafts astern
Total output power reaches 68,010 horsepower
JS Haguro can reach a top speed of 30 knots (56 km / h), with a crew of about 300 members
Haguro's combat power lies in the newer Aegis Weapon System Baseline 9C
a naval weapons system used to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets
Aegis allows the ship to share surveillance or targeting information among other assets
whether it is from a US Navy or Australian Navy ship or from an American or Japanese E-2 Hawkeye
The Maya class is the JMSDF's first Aegis destroyer to be equipped with ballistic missile defense with the Aegis BMD 5.1 system
The Japanese destroyer is essentially an improved version of the US Navy's Arleigh Burke IIA destroyer
Its main weaponry includes a 127mm MK-45 Mod 4 naval cannon, 96 cell MK41 vertical launchers, mounted on the front and rear decks
Additional weapons include: two 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, 8 × Type 17 anti-ship missiles in quad canisters
To enhance anti-submarine warfare capabilities, Haguro is equipped with a Sikorsky SH-60K naval helicopter
supported by a helipad in the rear
A full service hangar is also equipped
Japan's Defense Ministry recently said it intends to build two more Aegis destroyers to replace the land-based Aegis systems in Akita and Yamaguchi
If the plan is approved, the total number of Aegis destroyers will be 10
With the commissioning of the Haguro destroyer, Japan has made no secret of its purpose of curbing China's ambitions at sea