On November 22, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Swedish marine propulsion manufacturer Marine Jet Power AB (MJP) to supply waterjet (WJ) propulsion units for Japan’s high-speed Maneuver Support Vessels (MSVs).
MHI revealed that it will collaborate both with MJP, headquartered in Upssala, Sweden, and MATSUI Corporation, the Japanese machinery trading company that serves as MJP’s domestic agent in Japan.
The WJ propulsion units are expected to be installed on MSVs for the new ‘SDF Maritime Transport Group’ (tentative name), a joint unit of the three Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) services expected to be established by the end of this fiscal year.
The Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) is to procure vessels that can enable the rapid and reliable at-sea transport of JSDF personnel and equipment to Japan’s remote southwestern Nansei archipelago where many small islands lack ports capable of accommodating larger transport ships.
JMOD is looking to acquire a total of four MSVs, and these are expected to form the core of the SDF Maritime Transport Group and to be capable of offloading Ground Japan Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) High-Mobility Vehicles (HMVs) directly onto shore.
【Image Source: Japan Ministry of Defense】
MHI, which has delivered 200 WJ propulsion units to the JMOD and the Japan Coast Guard, has not disclosed specific details about the WJs that the company will collaborate with Sweden’s MJP to supply for installation on the JSDF’s MSVs.
However, it is possible that the WJ may be a variant of MJP’s “DRB” (= Double Reversing Bucket) ‘mixed flow high-efficiency WJ with inboard hydraulics’ that MJP has already had fitted onto a prototype MSV for the U.S. Army.
The U.S. Army’s MSV(L), a successor to the Caimen-90® developed by the UK’s BMT and the USA’s Vigor, is approximately 35 meters long and capable of a speed of 21 knots when fully laden and 30 knots when unladen.
The “Caimen-Japan Fast Landing Craft”, currently being co-developed by Japan Marine United (JMU), one of Japan’s major shipbuilders, and BMT, the UK-based ship design firm, is expected to have similar specifications [1].
【Image Source: Marine Jet Power AB (MJP)】
MJP’s DRB sports an “inboard hydraulics” and “high performance pump technology” that provide “additional maneuverability and increased reversing speeds”. Meanwhile, “duplex stainless steel pumps” makes the DRB durable against rocks and sand when landing ashore, thus making it an ideal candidate in meeting JMOD’s requirements.
【Image Source: Marine Jet Power AB (MJP)】
Specifications for the MJP DRB range are as follows:
| Model | Steerable | Booster | Intake | KW |
| 400 DRB | 590 kg | 300 kg | 268 L | 1250 kW |
| 450 DRB | 740 kg | 350 kg | 381 L | 1500 kW |
| 500 DRB | 850 kg | 460 kg | 523 L | 2000 kW |
| 550 DRB | 1200 kg | 650 kg | 696 L | 2500 kW |
| 650 DRB | 1820 kg | 1050 kg | 1149 L | 3000 kW |
| 750 DRB | 2730 kg | 1450 kg | 1764 L | 4000 kW |
| 850 DRB | 4350 kg | 2200 kg | 2754 L | 6000 kW |
Specifications for eight models of the DRB【Source: Marine Jet Power AB (MJP)】
Other readily-available options from MJP for Japan’s four MSVs include the “X-Series” ‘high-speed, fuel efficient, mixed-flow waterjet’ and the “CSU” ‘classic mixed-flow high-efficiency waterjet’, the latter of which has been adopted by France and Australia for landing craft propulsion.
【Source: Marine Jet Power AB (MJP)】
As reported by NSBT Japan earlier this month, JMOD’s four MSVs reserved for the SDF Maritime Transport Group are expected to be accompanied by four Landing Craft Utilities (LCUs) and two medium-sized transport Logistics Support Vessels (LSVs).
【Image Source: Japan Ministry of Defense】
JMOD has been contracting out since October 2023 the construction of the SDF Maritime Transport Group’s vessels to various domestic Japanese shipbuilders, with the first LCU launched last month having been constructed by Naikai Zosen Corporation.
【Image Source: Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA)】
MHI also announced in this week’s press release that the company similarly plans to proceed with its own deployment of landing craft to support the SDF Maritime Transport Group.
Note:
[1] According to Naval News in October, the “Caimen-Japan Fast Landing Craft” is to be approximately 30 meters long and 8 meters and is likely to meet JMOD’s MSV requirements for the JSDF. JMU also plans “to mass-produce the vessel at their shipyards in Japan, aiming for exports to countries across Southeast Asia and beyond”, with a particular focus on the Philippines. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/10/japan-marine-united-lifts-veil-on-new-fast-landing-craft/
Background Information:
https://www.mhi.com/jp/news/241122.html
https://nsbt-japan.com/u/admin01/j1ti2fnegkxsw8?sf_culture=en
https://nsbt-japan.com/u/admin01/j1ti2fnbwwerrc?sf_culture=en
https://marinejetpower.com/waterjets/
https://marinejetpower.com/news/u-s-armys-msvl-prototype-launched-featuring-mjp-waterjets/
https://786marine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/MJP-Landing-Craft-Sell-Sheet-10-27-2021.pdf
This article was originally posted on NSBT Japan, the first defense and security industry network in Japan. The publication provides the latest information on security business trends both within Japan and overseas. Asian Military Review began exchanging articles with NSBT Japan in April 2024.
Read the original article here.
