Canberra a Pacific maritime power and Tokyo a major weapons exporter, analysts say.

The Australian Defense Ministry said it will buy 11 of Japan’s Mogami-class frigates, stealthy, state-of-the-art surface combatants that analysts say are equal to – or in some repects better than – anything China or even the United States is putting in the water.

Announcing the deal with its fellow member of the the US-led Quad defense group, Australia’s Minister for Defense Industry Pat Conroy called it “another step towards delivering a much larger and more lethal navy, with stealth frigates that will reassure our allies and deter our adversaries.” Australia’s main security concern is its growing neighborhood rivalry with China, which was stoked earlier this year when a Chinese naval task force circumnavigated the continent and held live-fire exercises off Australian shores, forcing dozens of passenger planes to divert from their usual flight paths.

Canberra says the vessels will be “upgraded” Mogami-class ships – bigger than a version already in service with Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force – giving them more firepower and a longer unrefueled range of approximately 11,500 miles (about half the length of the equator). (CNN)