Bingo! Japan Launches Fourth Hibiki-Class Ocean Surveillance Ship
Japan has launched its fourth Hibiki-class auxiliary ocean surveillance ship, JS Bingo (AOS 5204), on 17 February 2025, at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture. JS Bingo is named after the Bingo Sea (Bingo-nada), a body of water in the central Seto Inland Sea. All Hibiki-class surveillance ships are named after well-known “nada” (seas) along Japan’s coastal regions, following a tradition in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). According to the JMSDF, the shipyard will now install final equipment and systems to prepare the vessel for delivery and commissioning in March 2026.
The JS Bingo was laid down in March 2024, designed to enhance Japan’s submarine tracking capabilities. This new vessel is part of an effort to enhance Japan’s undersea surveillance capabilities amid evolving regional security challenges. Bingo is being built for about 19.6 billion yen ($129.2 million) under a contract awarded in March 2023.
Bingo, a small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) vessel, is set to join the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Ocean Surveillance Division 1 at Kure Naval Base in Hiroshima Prefecture. This division is the JMSDF’s only ocean surveillance unit, responsible for monitoring submarine activity and enhancing maritime security.
The vessel is a 67-meter-long Hibiki-class ocean surveillance ship equipped with a more advanced Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS) than the first two ships in the class, JS Hibiki (AOS 5201) and JS Harima (AOS 5202), which entered service in 1991 and 1992, respectively. The vessel has a standard displacement of 2,900 tonnes, the same as JS Aki (AOS 5203) and 50 tons larger than the first two ships. According to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force the Hibiki-class has a top speed of 11 knots (20.37 km/h) and a crew of 40. Each vessel is also equipped with a flight deck for helicopter operations, enhancing its maritime surveillance capabilities. The launch of JS Bingo underscores Japan’s commitment to bolstering its maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. By integrating advanced sensor technologies with a modern SWATH design, the Hibiki-class vessels play a crucial role in monitoring undersea activities and ensuring national security amidst a shifting regional landscape.