Australia and Japan have formally signed a contract for the acquisition of Mogami-class stealth frigates, marking one of Japan's largest defence export agreements since World War II. Under the deal, Canberra will pay AU$10 billion (approximately US$6 billion) over ten years to acquire nearly a dozen of the advanced warships, with the contract signed on Saturday covering the first three vessels. The agreement is part of Australia's broader push to expand its major warship fleet from 11 to 26 ships within a decade, bolstering its long-range firepower amid growing strategic competition with China in the Asia-Pacific region.