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Pentagon mulls plan to outsource warship design and building to South Korea, Japan

The Pentagon is considering outsourcing warship design and building to South Korea and Japan with a proposed US$1.85 billion feasibility study into the project, according…

By Samantha Johnson / April 28, 2026
The Pentagon is considering outsourcing warship design and building to South Korea and Japan with a proposed US$1.85 billion feasibility study into the project, according to US media reports.

The study – included in the 2027 budget – will look at the feasibility of adopting or co-producing advanced hulls such as Japan’s Mogami-class and South Korea’s Daegu-class frigates to supplement the US Navy’s overstretched production lines, USNI News reported on Friday.

If the plan goes ahead it will be the first time the US has bought a major surface combatant from a foreign partner since World War II.

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It comes as the Donald Trump administration is frustrated by chronic delays, labour shortages and cost overruns within America’s industrial base.
The initiative also aims to bridge a widening shipbuilding capacity gap with China, which is currently producing six to 10 destroyers per year – four to six times the rate of the United States.
The Pentagon has included the US$1.85 billion feasibility study in the 2027 budget. Photo: AP
The Pentagon has included the US$1.85 billion feasibility study in the 2027 budget. Photo: AP

Japan’s Mogami-class has a 5,500-tonne stealth hull with a high degree of automation. South Korea’s Daegu-class is smaller at 3,600 tonnes and has a silent propulsion system. Both are equipped with US-standard systems, such as the MK-41 vertical launching system.

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