Asahi pairs quiet electric cruising with a balanced ASW fit

The Asahi class combines a 5-inch gun, thirty-two Mark 41 VLS cells, anti-ship missiles, torpedo tubes, and Phalanx within a ship of 5,100 tons standard and under seven thousand tons full load. Its weapons fit lacks the full Aegis and Standard-missile capability of a high-end air-defence destroyer. ASROC uses a rocket to deliver a torpedo, adding another way to attack submarines. The propulsion arrangement adds electric drive for quiet, efficient low-speed cruising while retaining gas turbines for higher performance. That quiet mode and the towed sonar strengthen the anti-submarine role. The design is assessed as a missed export opportunity that could have attracted customers if Japan had relaxed its arms-sales restrictions earlier.