{
  "id": 5304507,
  "title": "US looks to warship designs from Japan, South Korea and Turkey, reports say",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/us-looks-to-warship-designs-from-japan-south-korea-and-turkey-reports-5304507",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-03T10:00:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3366232/us-looks-warship-designs-japan-south-korea-and-turkey-reports-say"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The US is exploring the possibility of incorporating shipbuilding designs from Japan, South Korea, and Turkey to bolster its naval fleet, as domestic shipbuilding capacity struggles to meet demand. This proposal, outlined in a National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by President Donald Trump on August 13, aims to leverage foreign shipbuilding expertise and investment. The potential frigate designs under consideration include Japan's Mogami-class, South Korea's Chungnam-class, and Turkey's Istanbul-class. US Navy spokesman Ron Flanders stated that the president has directed the navy to increase domestic shipbuilding capacity, emphasizing the skills and expertise of allied shipbuilders. The cooperation could follow the \"Finland model,\" where foreign shipbuilders construct initial hulls and invest in US facilities, technologies, and supply chains before shifting production to American yards. This would be the first time the US has purchased a major surface combatant from a foreign partner since World War II. US law mandates that major navy and coastguard vessels be built domestically, unless the president grants a national security waiver, which was granted in the August memorandum. The move comes as the US grapples with a backlog of orders and declining shipbuilding capacity. Senior officials have been advocating for foreign-built warship construction, with the Pentagon allocating $1.85 billion in its 2027 budget for a feasibility study on outsourcing warship design and construction to South Korea and Japan. However, the plan is likely to face opposition in Congress from lawmakers representing states with significant shipbuilding industries.",
  "summary": "Washington is considering using Japanese, South Korean or Turkish frigate designs to expand the country’s naval fleet as the American shipbuilding industry struggles to meet demand, according to US media reports. The move comes after President Donald Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum on August 13 calling for the use of foreign shipbuilding capacity and investment. However,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
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    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}