This class was planned to become the new generation workhorse of the fleet of the JMSDF. In support of this objective, it was equipped with some new generation weapon and sensor systems such as the
ASROC anti-submarine rocket and the OPS-11
early warning radar (Japanese equivalent of the American
AN/SPS-40 radar). The
Minegumo-class destroyer derived from this class as the new
DASH equipped version, but after the
QH-50D DASH was scrapped, the JMSDF decided on resuming the construction of this class. The latter batch sometimes called as the
Aokumo class, and there are some improvements, mainly in their electronics such as the OQS-3 hull-sonar (Japanese variant of the American AN/SQS-23) and the AN/SQS-35 variable depth sonar system. == Ships ==