Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding recently unveiled its proposed design for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's (JMSDF) offshore patrol vessel (OPV) procurement programme which seeks to introduce a new class of 12 multi-role warships into service over the next decade.
The Mitsui E&S OPV design will have a length of 100 metres, a displacement of 2,000 tonnes, a speed in excess of 25 knots, a crew of 23, a 76-millimetre naval gun, and two 12.7-millimetre machine guns mounted on remotely operated weapons stations.
There will also be onboard accommodations for unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions.
