atago class destroyer

Last crawled date: 1 year, 11 months ago

the atago class is fundamentally an improved and scaled-up version of the kongō-class destroyers. the class features large accommodation and the ships are capable of flexible operation. one of the most obvious changes is an additional hangar to carry one sh-60k helicopter. in comparison to the kongō class/arleigh burke class (flight i) which only had helicopter platforms (but no support equipment), these ships have better helicopter handling facilities. to enhance the atago class' function as command centers, the bridge is two decks higher than aboard a arleigh burke class flight iia, making their full load displacement over 10,000 tons—the first time for a jmsdf surface combat vessel. the caliber has extended from the 54 caliber of the kongō class to the 62 caliber with strengthened powder charge enabling a 38 km firing range. as with other japanese ships being refit, the american-made harpoon missiles (such as in the initial configuration of the kongō class) have been replaced with the japanese-made type 90 (ssm-1b) surface-to-surface guided missiles.