laststandonzombieisland

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force last week launched their first 27DDG-type destroyer, Maya, DDG-179, a very serious 557-foot long/10,250-ton FL Aegis destroyer with Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), making her roughly the eqivalent of a Flight 2A Arleigh Burke-class, capable of launching SM-3 block II anti-ballistic missiles.

She is named after Mount Maya outside of Kobe, a name carried previously by the 668-foot/15,500-ton WWII Takao-class cruiser that preceeded her, as well as the much earlier (and smaller) Russo-Japanese War-era gunboat.

Launching of Japanese heavy cruiser Maya 8 November 1930

She is scheduled for delivery in 2020.