Japan MOD Takes Delivery of AEGIS Destroyer DDG-179 JS Maya.

On March 19 2020, Japan Ministry of Defense took delivery of its first Maya-class guided-missile destroyer, JS Maya (DDG-179), during a ceremony at the Japan Marine United Corporation’s Yokohama Shipyard Isogo Works facility. The destroyer Maya will be engaged in public safety and order maintenance at sea.

Japan launches lead Maya-class ballistic missile defense destroyer (Picture source: JMSDF)

JS Maya (DDG-179) is a Maya-class guided-missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Maya was named for Mount Maya and shares her name with a World War II heavy cruiser.

The new destroyer class is 170 meters long, displaces 8200 tons, will operate with a crew of 310 sailors and will be fitted with the AEGIS Baseline J7 combat system and the Northrop Grumman AN/SPQ-9B radar system.

Maya-class destroyers will field the SM-3 Block IIA missiles, for interception of short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and will be capable of launching SM-6 anti-air missiles.

The ships are equipped with one 5-inch (127mm/L62) Mk-45 Mod 4 naval gun in a stealth-shaped mount, two 20 mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS), SM-3 Block IIA and SM-6 air/missile defense missiles and Type 17 ship-to-ship missiles.

Powered by two combined gas turbine-electric and gas turbine (COGLAG) engines, the ship and 300 crew are propelled to a maximum stated speed of 30 knots.