Australia to seek deal with Japan in frigate development talks

The Australian government conveyed to the Japanese government on Monday that it plans to prioritize Japan over Germany in negotiating a deal for building a fleet of new frigates for its navy, a Japanese government source said.The deal, if closed after both sides can agree on prices, would mark a major arms export from Japan following an ongoing project between Japan, Britain and Italy to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet.The Australian project calls for spending up to AU$10 billion ($6.48 billion) to build 11 frigates with an eye toward bringing the first into service in 2029.Th…READ FULL ARTICLE