If the proposal goes ahead it will be the first time the US has bought a major surface combatant from a foreign partner since WWII
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenLiu ZhenPublished: 9:02am, 28 Apr 2026The 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.
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.
