JS ''Maya'' (DDG-179) is the
lead ship
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very complex and may ...
of
her class of
guided missile destroyer in the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
, abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...
(JMSDF). She was named after
Mount Maya and shares her name with a
World War II heavy cruiser.
Development
The announcement of a new destroyer class was in August 2015 with the name 27DDG. She was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one ...
by
Japan Marine United
(informally JMU) is a Japanese ship building marine engineering and service company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan.
It's Japan’s second largest shipbuilder after Imabari Shipbuilding, with shipyard facilities in Kure, Hiroshima, Yokoh ...
in
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of ...
,
Kanagawa on April 14, 2017, and was
launched on July 30, 2018. She was commissioned on March 19, 2020.
On 16 November 2022, the guided-missile destroyer fired an SM-3 Block IIA missile, successfully intercepting the target outside the atmosphere in the first launch of the missile from a Japanese warship. On 18 November 2022, the likewise fired an SM-3 Block IB missile with a successful hit outside the atmosphere. Both test firings were conducted at the
Pacific Missile Range Facility on
Kauai Island, Hawaii, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy and
U.S. Missile Defense Agency. This was the first time the two ships conducted SM-3 firings in the same time period, and the testes validated the ballistic missile defense capabilities of Japan’s newest s.
Gallery
File:Maya Class Destroyer 20180703.jpg, JS ''Maya'' being launched on 30 July 2018
File:DDG Maya, Japan MSDF.jpg
File:PSX 20180730 221114.jpg
File:JS Maya(DDG-179) left front view at Port of Kobe November 23, 2020 03.jpg, JS ''Maya'' in Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, w ...
on 23 November 2020
File:JS Maya(DDG-179) right front view at Port of Kobe November 23, 2020 01.jpg
References
Maya-class destroyers
Ships built by Japan Marine United
2018 ships
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