Frigate And Destroyer Programmes In Asia-Pacific

Warship designs and missions are wide and varied across the region, although the inclusion of offensive capabilities are just as important as defensive ones.

- Tim Fish

There are numerous frigate and destroyer construction programmes in the Asia-Pacific region but the types of ships and the shipbuilding effort involved varies greatly. This depends on where the country is located within the region and the extent of its naval ambition. It is a very nuanced picture and the region cannot be viewed as one.

The North East region of the AsiaPacific has most active frigate and destroyer programmes due to the growth of China and the threat of North Korea, which has in turn led to the development of large numbers of powerful ships by South Korea and Japan.

In South East Asia there are no destroyer programmes, but some limited frigate programmes as the focus is on maritime security and constabulary tasks and the shipbuilding industry is limited to the construction of simple warships.

However, there is recognition that China’s claims in the South China Sea could present national security problems and want to enhance anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities.

Further south in Oceania, Australia and New Zealand seek to engage internationally and in support of allies so there are efforts underway to expand Australia’s shipbuilding capabilities. In the subcontinent both India and Pakistan are trying to develop naval strength but these pale in comparison to the efforts in the NE region.

Dr. Collin Koh Swee Lean, from the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore told AMR that from 2014-2017 China commissioned more than 44 warships of all types, a great number of which were frigates and destroyers.