Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has christened and launched the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s final Hibiki-class auxiliary ocean surveillance vessel in Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture.
The JS Bingo (AOS 5204) will serve as the fleet’s fourth system developed with towed array sensors for acoustic-based surface and seabed monitoring missions.
It was named after a location off the coast of the Seto Inland Sea that flows to the Pacific.
A report from Osaka-based news agency The Sankei Shimbun said that the system’s construction cost approximately 19.6 billion Japanese yen ($129.1 billion).
Tokyo is expected to hold the commissioning ceremony for the Bingo at the Kure Naval Base in Hiroshima Prefecture later this year.
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命名「びんご」
ひびき型音響測定艦４番艦
＼本日、三菱重工マリタイムシステム(株)玉野本社工場において、令和4年度計画音響測定艦の命名式・進水式が執り行われ、「びんご」と命名されました。音響測定艦の名称は「海湾の名」から選出され、#備後灘 に由来しています。 pic.twitter.com/nEp2XvDfP2
— 防衛省 海上自衛隊 (@JMSDF_PAO) February 17, 2025
The Hibiki-Class Surveillance System
The Hibiki survey vessel was first introduced in the 1990s, with all three older ships currently operational under the naval force.
Tokyo’s decision to adopt a fourth for the fleet after nearly four decades, including the third ship JS Aki in 2021, was driven by the increasing number of submarines in the Pacific region.
Each Hibiki vessel measures 67 meters (220 feet) long and has a beam of 30 meters (98 feet).
It has a dedicated landing area for a maritime helicopter and accommodations for up to 40 personnel.
The Hibiki is powered by four Mitsubishi S6U-MPTK diesel engines with a collective 3,000 horsepower for speeds of 11 knots (20 kilometers/13 miles per hour) and a range of 3,800 nautical miles (7,038 kilometers/4,373 miles).
